Disney still doesn’t know what to do with Rey, let alone Star Wars

News of yet another Star Wars trilogy dropped last week. It wasn’t surprising. Why shouldn’t we be doomed to replay the same culture wars ad nauseam as “the world’s most admired company” tosses actors into the Sarlacc Pitt? It wouldn’t be so bad if Disney showed any sign that this trilogy would be different. If a new report from The Hollywood Reporter is to be believed, Disney still has a bad motivator.

There are a lot of Star Wars projects in development right now, but the most we ever get out of them is a name or, in the case of Patty Jenkin’s Rogue Squadron, a weird teaser. The post-Rise Of Skywalker landscape saw Star Wars retreat to TV, where it can quietly produce hits and misses. For every Andor, there’s an Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for every Mandalorian, a Book Of Boba Fett. But four years on, even the good stuff becomes a blip in the galaxy. The Mandalorian And Grogu are supposedly heading to theaters in 2026, but when was the last time The Mandalorian felt relevant?

Despite the mental slipperiness of current Star Wars, which barely produces a good meme these days, Disney continues to toss out ideas. They may consider Rey its “most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one,” but it’s unclear how that bears out. The Hollywood Reporter paints a picture of Lucasfilm in turmoil, announcing movies without looking at the calendar. A-list directors “jockeying” for characters while unaware of who is working on what. How will this trilogy affect the previously announced Rey standalone feature directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy? Did anyone even call to find out Daisy Ridley’s availability?

A common criticism of the recent trilogy is that the story or franchise lacks clear direction. That still seems to be the case; only Disney has become even more gun-shy since Rise Of Skywalker. Sadly, Star Wars is primarily a press release property now, but that may be the best form for it to take.