Here We Go Again! Rey Movie Allegedly Delayed Indefinitely…

Ok, you know the drill, get your salt out, take a few healthy doses… and let’s all sit down to listen to the latest Lucasfilm rumors: according to a scooper not usually known for Star Wars leaks and scoops the Rey movie is now delayed … indefinitely. This according to a report by “World of Reel”. Who, you may ask… according to Star Wars scooper Bespin Bulletin World of Reel, while not known for scoops about big Star Wars projects, usually covers news about smaller projects and is very often absolutely right. So there may be some veracity to the claims. But as usual, remember those are rumors and need to be treated as such. And reports that claim to debunk this rumor already exist.
However, it might explain Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s appearance on CNN two weeks ago, because even back then some people speculated this can only mean the project is in big trouble and Obaid-Chinoy wants to create pressure by pointing out that it’s high time a woman shapes the narrative in a galaxy far, far away. But at least according to the latest rumor it was all in vain! Click through for a few more details!

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Other scoopers (the usual YouTubers like WDWPro and others) reported before that right now scriptwriter Steven Knight is not even working on the script for the movie, that he put it on the backburner, because he is currently busy with finalizing the script for his Peaky Blinders movie. These sources also said that at least two versions of the script exist, with the rejected first draft (it is unknown if this was Lindelof’s draft) about Rey’s lovechild with force ghost Kylo/Ben Solo. Anyway…

Scooper Making Star Wars, who has a pretty great track record when it comes to Star Wars scoops, reported only a few days ago that according to his sources Knight still has to deliver a draft for the movie. MSW portrayed it as more of a scheduling conflict (since Peaky Blinders is supposed to start filming this summer as well and Knight is favoring his own project over Star Wars, Peaky Blinders is his streaming show and brainchild, and the strike made things complicated, because he could not work on his own Peaky Blinders script during that time).

The new report by World of Reel has a few more details. According to their source there are big creative differences between Steven Knight and Lucasfilm. Knight completed a draft but Lucasfilm was not at all happy with that and sent him so many notes that he basically had to start from scratch. According to the report this lead to huge frustations and the decision to focus on the Peaky Blinders script again and Knight may even walk away for good. The report also claims that the higher ups at either Lucasfilm or Disney (probably Disney) have very little faith in the Rey movie. This matches yet another rumor report where it is claimed Disney did a risk assessment for the Rey movie and found a high probability of it failing or underperforming, much to the chagrin of Lucasfilm. But this is the reason there was a surprise announcement for The Mandalorian movie, which now looks to be the first new Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker. Because they need a movie, any movie. And The Mandalorian may seem to be the safest bet. The rumor mill here is also going crazy… some reports claim that the movie may just be the season 4 finale, with a truncated 6 episode season 4 on Disney+. But nothing has been confirmed here.

So if this report is to be believed the Rey movie is now on hold, indefinitely. And we know what that means. We’ve been there before. Patty Jenkins and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy can maybe found a club of would be first female Star Wars directors. In my opinion the first female Star Wars movie director should be someone who has earned it, someone like Bryce Dallas Howard. Any woman with actual merit, experience and knowledge of Star Wars, none of which applies to documentary maker Obaid-Chinoy.

If the rumor is true, and that is a big IF, we still need to wait for any confirmation by any of the established trade magazines, it would be for the better. Because even if you like Rey you will have to admit that the chances of any sequel to the sequels, starring Rey or any other sequel character, has a very high chance of failing. There is literally zero demand for sequel trilogy merchandise, always a bad sign to begin with. The Rise of Skywalker left such a bad taste in the mouths of many Star Wars fans that any hope of salvaging the ruins of the sequel trilogy is probably in vain.

However, Gizmodo has already come out with an article of their own, and they say a Lucasfilm source has contacted them and told them that the report about the indefinite delay of the Rey movie is inaccurate, that Knight is still attached to the project and that they are waiting for his next draft. Gizmodo is a mainstream media outlet, whereas the rumor, as of now, is only being circulated by smaller websites or alternative news sources outside the established mainstream. This does not necessarily mean Gizmodo is right and the others are wrong, especially since Gizmodo has an agenda of their own (they are in the: “people who do not want the Rey movie are all sexist mysoginists” camp and they are very much in favor of the project), but I adivse you not to pop the champagne too soon if you want to never see or hear anything about the sequels or Rey again.

Then again, even Gizmodo’s debunking article does not really debunk most of the major claims: a) that Knight is currently not working on the script b) that he is focusing on his own Peaky Blinders movie instead c) that his first draft received so many notes that he basically has to start from scratch. The original rumor report does not claim Knight has already left the project, but that he very well may walk away, because of the creative differences, and the project is on hold for sure, even Gizmodo admits that in a roundabout way, because everyone at Lucasfilm is waiting for Knight to deliver his next draft, even according to Gizmodo’s article. Which means there can’t even be any pre production for the movie, for that you need a script or at least an approved draft. Either way, whether delayed indefinitely or just “for now”, it seems the Rey movie, if it ever sees the light of day, is still ways off in the future and the chances of it starting principal photography in summer 2024 are getting slimmer the longer there is no finished script. And the history of failed movie projects at Lucasfilm tells us that those script issues and delays often or almost always result in eventual cancellation. But we will see.

The truth will eventually come out, either from one of the major trade magazines like Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline or Indiewire or via an announcement (or lack of announcement, i.e. quiet cancellation) by Lucasfilm. I will keep you posted.

Mandatory photo of Rey crying

Would you welcome a possible cancellation of the project? Or do you think both the character of Rey and the sequel trilogy can be salvaged by a good follow-up movie and that audiences may flock to theaters to see it?

The original report about the alleged indefinite delay on World of Reel
Gizmodo’s alleged debunking of said rumor