Daisy Ridley

Rey’s heritage remains one of the biggest mysteries of the new Star Wars trilogy. Director Rian Johnson has previously confirmed that the identity of Rey’s parents will be revealed when The Last Jedi hits theaters this December, but the cast and crew are keeping particularly tight-lipped because, as Johnson has said, there’s another element of secrecy tied into that plot point. In a new interview, co-star Adam Driver may have given us another piece of the puzzle.

Rewrites are common in filmmaking, especially for big blockbuster films, where there are so many moving parts that filmmakers sometimes need to recalibrate to keep things focused — which makes this rumor about Star Wars: Episode VIII hardly surprising. Rumor has it that Rian Johnson’s screenplay may be undergoing a few minor rewrites as a response to the reactions to The Force Awakens, and while that sentence may trigger an eyebrow raise, you should know that this is totally a good thing — if true.

When you’re out promoting a movie, you’re often asked to do a lot of things, most of them pretty silly. With the amount of press the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was being asked to do, there were asked to do a lot of silly things, none perhaps as silly as going on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and singing a medley of Star Wars music a cappella. But the entire cast — including Harrison Ford! — actually commits, and it actually turns out to pretty fun.

The original Star Wars was driven by nostalgia for pulp magazines, Saturday-morning serials, and a simpler era with clear-cut heroes and villains. The new Star Wars is driven by nostalgia for the original Star Wars, and a simpler era when that title evoked words like “adventure” and “excitement,” and not words like “the taxation of trade routes,” and “Jar Jar Binks.” The characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens are all searching for something of great importance to the galaxy far, far away. I won’t reveal what this MacGuffin is, but I will tell you what it represents: that old Star Wars magic. Can director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the saga’s new creators find it?

Just when you thought Star Wars might lay a little low this week after unleashing a new trailer, posters and a TV spot, we’ve got a couple of updates on the franchise, as Lucasfilm has released a new set of behind the scenes photos from The Force Awakens, while director J.J. Abrams is opening up about his involvement in the franchise, both present and future.

Daisy Ridley is one of the new stars in Star Wars VII The Force Awakens.  She really has absolutely no idea how her life is about to change.  Remember the name, because by Christmas she will be a household name.