10 Huge Movie Returns Nobody Ever Expected (THAT ARE FINALLY HAPPENING!)

Even as recently as February of this year, Daisy Ridley making a return as Rey in a future Star Wars project was by no means guaranteed, with the Brit telling THR that, while she loved her Sequels experience, she wasn't aware of any plans to bring back the powerful Jedi.

And a few years before those comments, Ridley also noted in 2021 (via GamesSpot) that, while you obviously could "never say never", she did feel as though it was a "bye-bye for now" when discussing a potential revisit to the character.

Rather than joining the likes of John Boyega as a star whose time in the Star Wars universe looks to be over for good, though, Ridley was shockingly confirmed as a part of the cast of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's new flick set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker in April (via Empire).

Not only that, the sequel will see Rey attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order on the back of the fall of the First Order and defeating her grandfather Palpatine in Episode IX.

Coming into the latest Star Wars Celebration event, barely anyone expected to see Ridley walking out onto the stage to the sound of stunned applause. But she now looks set to star in what could potentially end up being the first Star Wars feature released since that rather disappointing 2019 Skywalker Saga conclusion.