It has not been an easy road to the Jedi Temple for Daisy Ridley’s upcoming Star Wars film. The project, set to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and feature Ridley’s return as Rey, has gone through multiple reported setbacks, but there is finally a bit of good news: the film has enlisted George Nolfi to be its new writer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. So while production on the project may be a ways away, at least the galaxy far, far away has found a new scribe.
Plot details on the upcoming film remain harder to find than the Death Star plans. However, it is known that the project will see Ridley’s Rey many years after the events of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, in which she defeated her grandfather Emperor Palpatine and took up the Skywalker name. Most reports are describing the project as a “New Jedi Order” film, so it is likely that Rey will be training a new generation of Jedi. But it is unclear what spin Nolfi will put on the script – or even where the script is starting from.
Ridley’s return, first announced nearly two years ago, comes as the film has faced delays, setbacks and a revolving door of writers. Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were first announced as the film’s writers, but they would soon exit the project. The pair were replaced by Steven Knight, known for his work creating the smash-hit gangster series Peaky Blinders. But by October 2024, Knight had also exited the Star Wars galaxy, with Nolfi now taking over. A timetable for the film’s release remains unclear.
Nolfi is Best Known for Ocean’s Twelve

Image via Lucasfilm

It will be interesting to see where Nolfi takes the Star Wars script given his background. While also working as a director, Nolfi is best known for writing high intensity thriller films that blend comedy and even romance. His best known work is as the screenwriter for Ocean’s Twelve, the 2004 film from Steven Soderbergh that featured the continued heists and hijinks of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean. His Ocean’s installment was commercially successful and saw Nolfi launch into a wide-spanning career.
Nolfi has since written the screenplays for The Bourne Ultimatum and The Sentinel. He made his directorial debut with 2011’s The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in a political mystery romper. He also directed the film The Banker and Elevation, the recently released monster film starring Anthony Mackie. Nolfi previously told Collider that he is open to the idea of turning Elevation into a franchise. “We have always had an answer to that…we’d like to do it in the next movie. For sure,” Nolfi said when asked about one of Elevation’s main questions.