Another disturbance in the Force has been sensed! Disney has hit a major roadblock with its upcoming ‘Star Wars: New Jedi Order’ movie, starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, as writer Steven Knight has left the project. Variety was the first to report the news.
The departure of Knight, the writer and creator of the BBC’s Peaky Blinders series, is a significant setback for Disney. This could potentially force the studio to delay the movie’s release, which is scheduled for December 2026, following the grand theatrical release of The Mandalorian & Grogu in May 2026.
New Jedi Order, much like the MCU’s Blade reboot, has faced numerous high-profile departures and development setbacks since its announcement in April this year.
Previously, it was revealed that Knight had been struggling to meet Lucasfilm’s requirements for the movie’s script. Over the past year, he submitted four different versions, but they failed to satisfy Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.
Knight replaced the original screenwriters, Justin Britt-Gibson and Damon Lindelof, in March 2023. Lucasfilm is reportedly in talks with potential writers to finalize the story, which is expected to follow Rey’s efforts to build a new Jedi Academy and train a new generation of Jedi. However, this delay could push the film’s production to 2025.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order will act as a direct sequel to Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). During the 2023 Star Wars Celebration in London, Kennedy announced that, in addition to Obaid-Chinoy’s film, the studio was also developing projects with director James Mangold and Dave Filoni, who serves as Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer. Stay tuned for more updates.