Since the end of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, several of the actors responsible for crafting those movies have opened up about their willingness to return to a galaxy far, far away. Of course, there are some who have already been confirmed to have that chance in upcoming Star Wars movies. That said, the tumultuous production of the Star Wars sequels led some actors to look back on their time in the franchise less fondly than others.
Regardless of which side of the fence they fall on, most of the Star Wars sequel trilogy cast have spoken often at length about any potential return to Lucasfilm in the future. The most likely story for any sequel characters returning would be Rey’s new Jedi Order Star Wars story. However, with Lucasfilm delving deeper into the world of TV since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker there is a possibility that upcoming Star Wars TV shows could include some sequel actors. Putting potential future projects aside, it remains the case that a handful of sequel trilogy stars have been open and honest about their wish to return to Star Wars.
10 Daisy Ridley
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was confirmed that one of the three upcoming Star Wars movies would center on Rey Skywalker rebuilding the Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Naturally, Rey Skywalker’s return would not be possible without Daisy Ridley whose willingness alone to step back into the role that catapulted her into Hollywood stardom is enough to prove how much she would love to return. However, Ridley made it clear her desire to play Rey again even before her next film was announced.
In an interview at the 2022 BAFTA Awards (via Star Wars Holocron), Ridley was asked if she misses playing Rey. Ridley coyly replied “I will always be Rey. Stand-by…” Of course, it now becomes clear that Ridley was teasing the imminent announcement of her return to the franchise that came at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Here, the actor further outlined her readiness to return: “Thank you, Kathleen and Sharmeen, for having me back. I’m very thrilled to be continuing this journey.” Given that Ridley is the only confirmed Star Wars sequel actor confirmed as part of Rey’s new Jedi Order, speculation about other sequel characters has run rampant. As such, it falls to comments from her former cast members to provide insight into whether they share Ridley’s eagerness to come back.
9 Joonas Suotamo
Following Peter Mayhew’s retirement from the role of Chewbacca after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Joonas Suotamo was picked as the man to bring everyone’s favorite Wookiee to life for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Since then, Suotamo’s keenness to return to Star Wars has been evident as confirmed at Star Wars Celebration 2023. It was confirmed that Suotamo would return to Star Wars, though not as Chewbacca. Instead, Suotamo will portray a Jedi Wookiee during 2024’s The Acolyte, the High Republic-set Disney+ series:
“You might have seen a hairy Wookie on stage. I’m so beyond excited because ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a Jedi. And a while back, I was called and informed that they might want to try me on for this new role and I really only said (Wookiee noises).”
8 Andy Serkis
The main villain of the first two Star Wars sequels was Supreme Leader Snoke, played by the fantastic Andy Serkis. Like Suotamo and Ridley, Serkis is one of the few Star Wars sequel actors who already has a confirmed return to the franchise. Andor season 1 saw Serkis play the surprising role of Kino Loy, who quickly became a fan favorite. This indicated Serkis’ obvious inclination to return to the franchise, as evident by his comments via Starwars.com after Andor season 1:
“I was slightly trepidatious because when I came into it, I was thinking, ‘Oh no, no, the Snoke theories are just going to go crazy…’ I was such a huge fan of Rogue One, which I absolutely adored and when we met, and we talked about [the part of Kino Loy], I really just fell in love with the character.”
7 Adam Driver
Undoubtedly the most compelling character in the Star Wars sequels was Kylo Ren, largely thanks to Adam Driver’s fantastic performance as the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. Despite Kylo Ren’s, or more fittingly Ben Solo’s, demise in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Driver is one of the many actors audiences wish would return in the future. As it turns out, Driver himself is not against a return to his role as he outlined in an interview with UNILAD (via Den of Geek):
“No, I’m totally not against doing more [Star Wars]. For me, it’s a filmmaker’s medium, so my only thing is working with great filmmakers… There’s interesting things about working on both. I always just follow people I’d be interested in working with, and whether I’d be right for the part – things like that. No, definitely not averse.”
While Driver is not as overly excited about a Star Wars return as Ridley, it is clear the franchise still holds some sway over him. His desire to return in any capacity so long as the right filmmaker or story is found proves Driver’s readiness to don his lightsaber once more. Whether this will happen remains to be seen, but Driver’s Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is one of the characters most rumored to return in Ridley’s movie despite him becoming one with the Force in Episode IX.
6 Naomi Ackie
While Ridley and Driver were arguably the two main actors in the Star Wars sequels, the cast of all three films can certainly be regarded as ensembles. Part of the ensemble for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was Naomi Ackie as Jannah, a stormtrooper turned Resistance fighter who fought against the Final Order. While it can be argued that Jannah’s character was underutilized in The Rise of Skywalker‘s unfocused story, this simply means there is a wealth of opportunity to further explore her going forward. Ackie echoes these sentiments as the actress outlined her desire to return to Star Wars via Total Film:
“Of course! If they’d have me, I’d jump on that horse any day. I think it’s an incredible universe and I know that they’re always telling more stories and making more links to the Star Wars gone by. It was so much fun, and it was at such an early part of my film career. It’d be so funny going back now as what feels like a completely different person and taking up the role again, but only if they’d have me.”
5 Oscar Isaac
Since 2019, Oscar Isaac has been one of the more open actors concerning his return to Star Wars after his role as Poe Dameron in the three sequels. Similarly, Isaac’s overview has been a less-than-positive one. In 2020, Isaac appeared on a panel of actors for Deadline and insisted he would only return to Star Wars if he “needs another house.” While this should obviously be taken with a grain of salt given Isaac’s naturally comedic personality, the actor further outlined his unwillingness to return to Star Wars: “It’s not really what I set out to do. What I set out to do was to make handmade movies, and to work with people that inspire me.”
That said, a recent interview with SiriusXM saw Isaac reflecting a little more positively on a potential reprisal of his role in Star Wars. After being asked whether Poe Dameron is something he would like to bring back or if it is part of his past, Isaac stated:
“I don’t know. I’m open to anything. You never know… I’m open to any good story… If there was a great story and a great director and [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] came to me and was like, ‘I have this great idea,’ then I’m so open to it.”
While the rest of Isaac’s comments seem to match those of Driver’s concerning the right story being integral to his return, the final comment of the actor being “so open to it” stands out. It proves that, given Isaac’s time away from Star Wars since 2019, the actor has had time to sink his teeth into other roles he has always wished for. In this way, a return to Star Wars is now more of a possibility, something Isaac clearly seems fond of given the right circumstances.
4 John Boyega
Since wrapping production on the Star Wars sequels in 2019, Finn actor John Boyega has openly and honestly addressed his difficulties as part of the three movies. An interview with GQ in 2020 saw Boyega share his displeasure at his and Kelly Marie Tran’s characters getting sidelined in favor of more nuanced stories for Ridley’s Rey and Driver’s Kylo Ren. Similarly, Boyega rightfully criticized Disney for positioning a black character, Boyega’s Finn, as a prominent figure before stripping importance away from him in favor of subversion.
All that said, Boyega has more recently looked back on his time as part of Star Wars more fondly after separating himself from the madness of a galaxy far, far away. During an interview with TechRadar, Boyega admitted he had made peace with his earlier comments about Star Wars:“That [those comments] was a few years ago, so they were the subject of that particular project.” Boyega then addressed his potential return to the franchise: “But I’m open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable, have a great cast attached, and a terrific director. So yeah, I’m open to all opportunities.”
These comments certainly prove that Boyega is much more open to a reprisal of Finn than he has been in the past. Interestingly, this interview was conducted after April 2023 and the announcement of Rey’s new Jedi Order film at Star Wars Celebration 2023. With it being long-rumored that Boyega will return in that project, these comments reflecting Boyega’s new open-minded attitude about the franchise could tease Finn’s homecoming sooner rather than later.
3 Domhnall Gleeson
One of the minor antagonists of the Star Wars sequels was Domhnall Gleeson’s Armitage Hux. Unlike the many Star Wars sequel actors whose enthusiasm to reprise their roles has fluctuated, Gleeson has been much more positive about a return to the role of Hux. In an interview with The Wrap, Gleeson stated:
“Of course I would! He was really interesting, and I think there’s a lot I could do more [with him]. I don’t see them making the call. I’m not sure anybody’s clamoring for a Hux sequel or prequel. But yeah, of course. Those movies are amazing.”
2 Gwendoline Christie
Another of the Star Wars sequels’ minor antagonists was Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie. Phasma was overly hyped before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens due to her tantalizing chrome stormtrooper armor, yet many would agree the character – and actor in Christie – was wasted in her two Star Wars appearances. As such, Christie told Empire that she would love to reprise her role as the Captain of the First Order:
“I haven’t read the comics but, I mean, it’s Star Wars! I would absolutely love that. There was a template for a character that people got really excited about. It would be smashing if they felt that it was worthwhile to explore, along with some fabulous action.”
1 Laura Dern
Rounding off the list of Star Wars sequel actors open to a return to their character is Laura Dern. Dern was introduced as Admiral Holdo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a character who turned out to be as divisive as the movie in which she debuted. Despite this controversy, Dern has expressed her openness to a Star Wars return in an interview with The Evening Standard:
“I’m eager to learn about the future — or the past — of this character only because I loved playing her so much. It would be heartbreaking not to have an experience of playing her again. Whether or not there’s an escape pod — unfortunately I’m not the one that knows!”
While the sequel trilogy of Star Wars was naturally divisive, it remains the case that several of the actors responsible for the films are eager to return. While some are confirmed such as Ridley, Serkis, and Suotamo, others will be waiting in the wings for their potential return. As it turns out, fans around the globe are echoing the anticipation for some of Star Wars‘biggest recent characters to come back to a galaxy far, far away.
