According to reports, Damon Lindelof’s pitch to have Helen Mirren play an older Rey Skywalker in a Star Wars film was rejected by Disney. Lindelof was asked to leave the Star Wars film he had been working on for over a year due to creative differences with the director.
Damon Lindelof’s script, set sixty years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, reportedly featured an elderly Rey Skywalker, who was sixty years old at the time. The news was revealed by Jeff Sneider, host of The Hot Mic podcast, who had previously reported that Lindelof had been asked to leave the Star Wars film he had been working on for over a year due to creative differences with the director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Damon Lindelof Wanted Helen Mirren
In David Lindelof‘s original plan, Rey would mentor two non-white Jedi, a man, and a woman. Lindelof reportedly had Helen Mirren in mind as the model for the elderly version of Rey, but he did not reach out to her specifically. However, Lucasfilm did not like the script, and Lindelof was fired from the project.
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Lindelof left the Star Wars film because he and the director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, had creative differences. There was reportedly tension between Damon Lindelof and Obaid-Chinoy, and Lucasfilm was unhappy with Lindelof’s first draft.
Lucasfilm fired the director, bringing in Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight to rewrite the script. How much of what Lindelof wrote will make it into the finished film is anyone’s guess.
At Star Wars Celebration earlier this month, Lucasfilm announced that Daisy Ridley would reprise her role as Rey. Set fifteen years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey will attempt to found a New Jedi Order in the upcoming film written by Steven Knight and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
What’s Next For The Star Wars Film
Despite widespread speculation, Jeff Sneider has not received any confirmation from the film’s producers that John Boyega will reprise his role as Finn. Boyega may or may not have been involved, but this is highly unlikely, given the extensive alterations made to the script.
Damon Lindelof’s concept of an older Rey Skywalker, with Helen Mirren in mind as the model, is intriguing. It’s easy to see why Lucasfilm replaced Lindelof with a new writer after reading his first draft.
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Daisy Ridley will reprise her role as Rey in the next Star Wars film, and the New Jedi Order will be established. With Steven Knight as the writer and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as the director, this film makes a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon.
How much of Damon Lindelof’s original script will make it into the film, and whether any returning characters from the previous films are still open questions.
The untitled Star Wars movie will be released on December 19th, 2025.
Source: YouTube
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