It’s been over ten years since the sequel trilogy kicked off with 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” It was immediately followed by 2017’s controversial “The Last Jedi” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” the last “Star Wars” film released in theaters. That’s about to change when “The Mandalorian & Grogu” hits theaters on May 22, but it takes place years before the events of the sequel trilogy. In honor of May the 4th, or Star Wars Day, let’s take a look back at some of the major stars from the sequel trilogy and where they’re at now.
After becoming a household name for her role as Rey, Daisy Ridley went on to star in “Cleaner,” “Young Woman and the Sea,” and the zombie movie “We Bury The Dead,” which was released earlier this year.
She’ll next appear in “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” alongside Johnny Depp, who plays the titular Scrooge. The feature has a star-studded cast, including Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Ian McKellen, and Tramell Tillman.
Although there was supposed to be a Rey movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, there has been little news about the project since its initial announcement. Some fans believe that her standalone movie will now be folded into Simon Kinberg’s new trilogy. It might be a while before she returns to the screen with her lightsaber, but Ridley recently reassured her followers that her return to a galaxy far, far away will be “worth the wait.”
John Boyega’s Return As Finn Is Unclear
John Boyega starred as Finn, a Stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter. Since leaving the galaxy far, far away, he won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Leroy Logan in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology. He also appeared in 2022’s “The Woman King” and 2023’s “They Cloned Tyrone.”
Boyega has been vocal about his mixed feelings about the franchise, as his character was sidelined after 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” In 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” he spends most of the movie trying, and failing, to tell Rey that his character is Force-sensitive. The reveal never actually happens, leaving many fans disappointed.
In March 2026, during a panel at Megacon Orlando, a fan told him to “Get Dave [Filoni] on the phone.” Boyega replied, “I actually have, actually,” leading to speculation that he was working with Lucasfilm to reprise the character. However, some in the audience have since taken to social media to say that it sounded like he was joking, so it looks like fans will just have to wait and see.
Oscar Isaac Will ‘Maybe’ Return To ‘Star Wars’
Oscar Isaac is currently starring in season 2 of Netflix’s “Beef,” although the actor has been pretty busy since leaving the galaxy far, far away, where he played Resistance pilot-turned-general, Poe Dameron. He went on to join another Disney franchise, Marvel, where he played the titular “Moon Knight” on the Disney+ series. He also recently starred in Netflix’s “Frankenstein.”
In November 2025, he said that he would be “open” to returning to “Star Wars.” However, he admitted that he was “not so open to working with Disney” after Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from the air following a comment he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In April 2026, he once again said that he was “maybe” interested in returning to “Star Wars” and revealed that the “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” line that has been widely mocked across social media was a “new addition” during reshoots.
Kelly Marie Tran Is Open To Returning As Rose Tico
Kelly Marie Tran is probably one of the most controversial characters added to the sequel trilogy. Her character, Resistance technician Rose Tico, didn’t appear in 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” and was subject to the divisive Canto Bight subplot in 2017’s “The Last Jedi.”
Regardless of her character’s live-action reception, she has continued to voice Rose Tico in 2020’s “The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” and 2022’s “LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation.” In addition to narrating “The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron” audiobook, she also voiced Darth Rose Tico in “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,” which premiered on Disney+ in 2024.
In April 2025, she told CBR that she had conversations about a possible return for Rose Tico, stating that she is still a “Star Wars” fan and that she still has “such a warm place in my heart, just that whole universe, and that entire experience.”
Adam Driver Wanted To Return To ‘Star Wars’ Before Disney Shut It Down
Since leaving a galaxy far, far away, Adam Driver has received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman” and Best Actor in 2019’s “Marriage Story,” but he’s also gone on to star in 2021’s “The Last Duel,” 2021’s “House of Gucci,” 2023’s “Ferrari,” and 2024’s “Megalopolis,” to name a few.
He has also been tapped to star in a new Netflix series called “Rabbit, Rabbit,” an Apple TV art-world drama called “The Dealer,” and the military drama “Alone At Dawn,” which tells the true story of Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman’s fight to save his fellow soldiers and the investigation to prove his valor that earned him a Medal of Honor.
Despite his busy schedule, the actor revealed in October 2025 that he and director Steven Soderbergh had been working on their own movie called “The Hunt For Ben Solo.” Although he played the villainous Kylo Ren for the first two films, he returned to his identity as Ben Solo and was seemingly redeemed at the end of “The Rise of Skywalker” while fighting Emperor Palpatine, and appeared to have died after he faded into the Force.
However, it seems that Driver felt that the character had unfinished business. He and Soderbergh spent a few years developing a script with Scott Z. Burns that received approval from Lucasfilm. However, Driver told AP News that the film was shot down by Bob Iger.
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver explained. “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
Since then, there have been several fan campaigns attempting to revive the project, but Soderbergh has shut down any hope that the film will ever be made. That being said, it is clear that there is still interest in Ben Solo’s character, and it’s possible that he might make a return, even as a Force ghost, in Simon Kinberg’s new trilogy.
It remains to be seen whether any of these characters will appear in “Star Wars: Starfighter,” the first movie set after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.” The film, starring Ryan Gosling, is scheduled for a May 2027 theatrical release.
