Star Wars' sequel trilogy was released between 2015 and 2019 with an ensemble cast, here is what that cast has said about whether they would return to a galaxy far, far away. Ideas for a sequel trilogy to George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy had been discussed by Lucas many times after his completion of both the original and prequel trilogies. However, in 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, citing time with his family as his reasoning for the sale.
Following Disney's acquisition of the company, production began almost instantly on a sequel trilogy. J.J Abrams was named director of the first installment in 2013, with Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow attached to direct the further two movies. Trevorrow was eventually removed from Star Wars 9, with Abrams taking over to finish the sequel trilogy in 2019.
Across the three films, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney assembled an ensemble cast of both old, legacy characters, and new characters created for the next generation of Star Wars. With the completion of the trilogy with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, speculation began about whether more films would be made in the Star Wars universe. However, with Disney turning its attention from Star Wars on the big screen to Star Wars TV through Disney+, the cinematic future of the franchise was left in doubt. With that being said, here is everything that every major actor from the Star Wars sequel trilogy has said about their potential return to the franchise.
Daisy Ridley
Daisy Ridley was cast in February 2014 as Rey, a scavenger from the desert planet Jakku who eventually became Rey Skywalker, the main character of the sequel trilogy. Naturally, Ridley has faced a lot of questions since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker about a potential return to the franchise. One of the most recent comments from Ridley on Rey's future in the Star Wars universe came at 2022's BAFTA awards. During an interview on the red carpet (via Star Wars Holocron), Ridley was asked what her character's future was. Ridley's answer was rather blunt, yet she still gave an insight into how the lead actress of the sequel trilogy feels about a potential return to Rey Skywalker, formerly Rey Palpatine. Ridley simply answered, "I'll always be Rey." This answer from Ridley proves that the character is close to her heart, and she would likely be open to a return be it in the near or distant future. However, the comment is also smart, with these words being carefully chosen so they can't be taken out of context and mislead anyone into thinking a Rey spin-off is coming. That being said, this still highlights how Daisy Ridley feels about the character, hinting that a return to a galaxy far far away wouldn't be out of the question for Ridley.
John Boyega
John Boyega played one of the secondary protagonists of the sequel trilogy, stormtrooper-turned-Resistance General Finn. Since the culmination of the trilogy, Boyega has been much less positive about his time working on the sequel trilogy. Boyega has often stated that he was unhappy with Finn's arc in the final two movies of the trilogy after Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The actor, in an interview with British GQ in 2020, lamented how all the perceived depth of different character arcs was given to Adam Driver's Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley's Rey, with the characters of color being sidelined.
However, this isn't to say Boyega isn't willing to return. In a resurfaced 2020 clip from an interview with Jake's Takes, Boyega confirmed that he would be open to a return to the Star Wars franchise, only under certain conditions and despite the mistakes made with Finn in Star Wars' sequel trilogy. Boyega said, "Whichever way, I am open to the conversation as long as it is Kathleen, J.J., and maybe someone else and the team, it's a no-brainer." This proves that John is open to reprising his role as Finn, only with certain members of the crew he worked under during his time at Lucasfilm. Boyega has also openly stated he would like to return if Disney opted to remake the original Episode 9 from Colin Trevorrow in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. These comments are interesting and certainly aren't as sentimental as Ridley's when concerning their respective characters. However, they still prove Boyega would be open to a Star Wars reunion, depending on the circumstances.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac played hotshot pilot Poe Dameron, a character introduced in The Force Awakens. Isaac was cast alongside Ridley and Boyega to fulfill a Han Solo-esque role in the new trilogy, portraying a suave, charismatic, and charming pilot of the Resistance against the First Order. While Ridley's comments were more open to a Star Wars return and Boyega's more middling, Isaac's input on reprising his role leans to the unexplored end of the spectrum, indicating he would not be overly keen to return to the role. Speaking to Deadline in 2020, Isaac said:
"I enjoyed the challenge of those films and working with a very large group of incredible artists and actors, prop makers, set designers, and all that was really fun. 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.”
When Isaac was asked if these comments meant he won't be reprising the role of Poe Dameron anytime soon, he replied, "Probably – but who knows? If I need another house or something.” These comments certainly indicate that Isaac isn't very keen at all to return to Star Wars, stating that he had fun but would rather focus on smaller productions. Granted, in the years since then, Isaac has appeared in blockbusters such as Marvel Studios' Moon Knight as Marc Spector. However, in terms of Star Wars, it is clear Isaac has no intention of returning in the near future, albeit stating his intentions in a more tongue-in-cheek manner.
Adam Driver
Adam Driver played the main antagonist of the sequel trilogy Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo, was the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, and the nephew of Luke Skywalker, who turned to the dark side and worked under Supreme Leader Snoke. Ren eventually rose to become the Supreme Leader of the First Order before facing his redemption back to the light side of the Force and meeting his demise as Ben Solo in Star Wars. Driver's Kylo Ren is one of the standout performances—and characters in general—of the sequel trilogy, so it comes as no surprise that many would welcome his return, despite his fate in The Rise of Skywalker.
When asked if a return to the franchise was possible, Driver told UNILAD:
“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. Whatever the size… it’s never been interesting to me, to an extent. 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.”
These comments are arguably the most straightforward of all the major actors of the sequel trilogy. While Ridley certainly expressed a fondness for her character, she never outright stated her willingness to return. With Driver though, he was to the point, bluntly stating he is definitely not against a return as Kylo/Ben. How this would happen is another question, given how the character was left off at the end of Star Wars 9, with Kylo Ren's death. Though it goes without saying that many would certainly be all for Adam Driver's return to one of the best characters of the Disney Star Wars era.
Kelly Marie Tran
Kelly Marie Tran is one of the only other major players of the sequel trilogy, besides the actors of the original iconic trio, who played brave Resistance engineer Rose Tico in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Tran had one of the more difficult times during her work on Star Wars, with the divisive reception of her character leading to an onslaught of abuse online which caused Tran to delete all social media accounts in 2018. This toxic behavior is, unfortunately, something associated with modern online fandom, though recent overwhelmingly positive reception for Tran at events such as Star Wars Celebration 2019 were cause for, of course, celebration. That being said, despite the recent turnaround in reception towards Tran as an actress, she still remains unsure about a return to Star Wars.
In an interview with IGN, Tran expressed her hesitancy to return as Rose Tico. Tran elaborated that she is a much different person than when she appeared in Star Wars in 2017 and 2019. While she admitted she does long for aspects of her character, she went on to say that she was unsure if the future of Star Wars has any place for Rose Tico. With the future of the franchise seemingly being headlined by Disney+, with the world of The Mandalorian as its spearhead, it, unfortunately, seems that Tran may have a point. However, if the rumors of a Star Wars 10 centered around Rey's new Jedi Order are to be believed, that is a project in which Tico could return, should Tran feel comfortable revisiting that character.
While there are a few other actors from the Star Wars sequel trilogy who could have weighed in on a return to the franchise, these are definitely the main actors who could make Lucasfilm reignite the story post-sequels. These comments are obviously mixed, ranging from hesitancy to enthusiasm at reprising the roles introduced throughout The Force Awakens, Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. Whether Star Wars makes a return to big-screen filmmaking with characters from the sequel trilogy or indeed embroils them into their new venture into the world of TV remains to be seen. Either way, it’s clear the range of emotions from the actors and actresses in question aren’t as simple as an easy "yes" or a hard "no."