The Star Wars Skywalker Saga is heading back to the galaxy’s most iconic bloodline. After years of expanding into spin-offs, streaming stories and new corners of the canon, Lucasfilm is reportedly preparing a return to its central mythos with Jon Watts attached to direct the first film in a new trilogy.
According to multiple reports, the project is being written by Simon Kinberg, with Daisy Ridley said to be eyed for a return as Rey. While Disney has not officially greenlit the film, the development marks one of the clearest signs yet that the Star Wars Skywalker Saga remains the franchise’s emotional and commercial core.
Jon Watts Takes The Helm Of A New Star Wars Skywalker Saga Chapter
Jon Watts is best known for steering Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland, including Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home and No Way Home. He also co-created Skeleton Crew, giving him direct experience inside the Star Wars universe before landing this much bigger assignment.
His reported hiring suggests Lucasfilm wants a filmmaker comfortable balancing blockbuster spectacle, character-driven storytelling and legacy franchise expectations. Those are exactly the pressures that come with reviving the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, a storyline that spans generations of fans and more than four decades of film history.
Watts’ mainstream appeal could also help Lucasfilm bridge longtime viewers with younger audiences who know him from Marvel. That crossover potential may be one reason this move feels especially strategic.
What Simon Kinberg’s Involvement Means
Simon Kinberg has reportedly been developing this trilogy since 2018, indicating that Lucasfilm’s return to the Star Wars Skywalker Saga is not a sudden pivot but a long-gestating plan. Kinberg is no stranger to large-scale franchise storytelling, having worked across the X-Men universe and previously co-created the animated fan favorite Star Wars Rebels.
That background matters. Rebels proved Kinberg understands both the emotional texture and mythic scope of Star Wars. If this trilogy moves ahead, his challenge will be to push the timeline forward without simply repeating familiar beats from the Skywalker legacy.
Key creative questions include:
- How directly will the new films connect to the original Skywalker family?
- Will Rey become the main bridge between old and new eras?
- Can the story expand the mythology while preserving the saga’s generational themes?
Why Daisy Ridley’s Rey Could Be Central
Reports that Daisy Ridley is being eyed to return make narrative sense. By the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey had become the franchise’s clearest path forward, effectively inheriting the symbolic weight of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga. Whether fans embraced every creative decision of the sequel trilogy or not, Rey remains the most recognizable lead for the post-Episode IX era.
Bringing her back would offer continuity and a natural entry point for audiences. It would also allow Lucasfilm to revisit unresolved themes around legacy, identity, Jedi rebuilding and what the Skywalker name means after the fall of the Empire and the First Order.
If Ridley returns, expect the film to position her as more than a survivor of the old war. She could become the architect of whatever comes next.
A Brief Look Back At The Skywalker Timeline
To understand why this announcement matters, it helps to remember how central the Star Wars Skywalker Saga has been to the franchise:
- Original trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi
- Prequel trilogy: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith
- Sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker
Since 2019, Lucasfilm has widened the canvas with Disney+ series and standalone film development, exploring different timelines and characters. But for many viewers, Star Wars still feels most essential when it is tied to the mythic family drama at the center of the saga.
What This Means For Lucasfilm’s Bigger Strategy
Lucasfilm has spent the last several years experimenting with how Star Wars should evolve on both the big and small screen. Projects like The Mandalorian, Andor and Ahsoka proved the galaxy can sustain stories beyond the main episodic films. Still, a return to the Star Wars Skywalker Saga signals that the studio may see its strongest theatrical future in familiar narrative territory.
That does not mean retreat. It may instead reflect a recalibration: build outward creatively, but anchor major movie events in the most resonant piece of the brand. With Star Wars: Starfighter also on the release calendar for May 2027, Lucasfilm appears to be shaping a multi-track future that mixes fresh concepts with legacy-driven momentum.
One important caveat remains: the new trilogy opener has reportedly not been officially greenlit by Disney. In franchise terms, that means plans are promising but still fluid.
Fan Expectations And The Challenges Ahead
Any revival of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga will arrive with enormous pressure. Fans will expect:
- A story that feels essential, not nostalgic for its own sake
- Clear long-term planning across the trilogy
- Meaningful development for Rey and any new generation of heroes
- A balance between classic Star Wars themes and a fresh cinematic voice
Jon Watts now faces the same challenge every major Star Wars filmmaker does: honoring the past without becoming trapped by it. If he and Kinberg can deliver a story with emotional stakes, visual ambition and genuine forward momentum, this could become one of Lucasfilm’s most important moves of the decade.
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Conclusion
The reported return of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga with Jon Watts directing and Simon Kinberg writing is a major development for the franchise’s future. Even without a final greenlight, the project suggests Lucasfilm believes its next big-screen era may once again depend on the power of legacy, mythology and Rey’s unfinished journey. For fans of blockbuster storytelling, this is one Star Wars update worth watching closely.
