Now that the Skywalker saga came to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, what’s next for the actors? Although the Star Wars film saga as fans knew it is now over, it isn’t the end of the Star Wars universe: another trilogy from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson, is expected to happen in a near future, as well as another film with Kevin Feige as producer, along with the Star Wars series on Disney+, like The Mandalorian and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker follows the final stand of the Resistance against the First Order, which is revealed to have been aided by the supposedly deceased Sheev Palpatine, corrupting Kylo Ren in the process. Speaking of Kylo, his inner battle between both sides of the Force continues, as does Rey’s Jedi training thanks to Leia. The film also solved one of the biggest mysteries of the sequels: Rey’s backstory and origin. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did its best to bring closure to the characters, but failed for the most part – which is frustrating given that it’s the final adventure in the saga.
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But now that it’s all over, what are the actors – both those introduced in this film and the ones from the original trilogy that came back – going to do now? Life after Star Wars can be rough (just take a look at Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen), but luckily, most of the actors in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker already have a couple of projects lined up.
Daisy Ridley
Daisy Ridley rose to international fame with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and all eyes will surely be on her and her next projects now that Rey’s story has come to an end. Ridley will once more voice Cottontail Rabbit in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, to be released in April, and will play Viola Eade in Chaos Walking, a sci-fi film directed by Doug Liman and based on Patrick Ness’ novel The Knife of Never Letting Go. Chaos Walking doesn’t have a release date, as it’s going through reshoots after poor test screenings.
Adam Driver
Adam Driver is a very busy man, and his role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels didn’t stop him from taking part in other projects, most notably Logan Lucky, BlacKkKlansman, and Marriage Story. At the time of writing, Driver only has one project coming up after The Rise of Skywalker: the musical Annette, alongside Marion Cotillard. The story follows a stand-up comedian and his wife, who is a world-famous soprano. Their life takes a turn with the arrival of their daughter, Annette, who has a unique gift.
John Boyega
John Boyega has two projects lined up – a film and a miniseries. The first one is the drama film Naked Singularity, based on the novel of the same name by Sergio De La Pava, where he will share the screen with Bill Skarsgård, Olivia Cooke, Ed Skrein, and Tim Blake Nelson. The second one is the miniseries Small Axe, of which details are currently unknown.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac won the hearts of many thanks to his role as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, and fans will see him again on the big screen this year. Isaac is part of the cast of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, a sci-fi film and first of a planned two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name. Starring alongside Isaac are Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, and many more. Dune is scheduled for a December, 2020, release. Isaac will also appear in the drama film Big Gold Brick.
Mark Hamill
Luke Skywalker became one with the Force at the end of The Last Jedi, but fans got to see him once more in The Rise of Skywalker, and his arc officially came to an end. Mark Hamill doesn’t have any film projects after Star Wars 9, but he lent his voice to Cecil Stedman in the upcoming animated superhero series Invincible, based on the comic book character of the same name by Robert Kirkman. The series is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video sometime this year.
Harrison Ford
Though Han Solo met his fate in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Harrison Ford came back for a cameo appearance in The Rise of Skywalker, in what some fans have labelled as one of the many fan service moments in the film. Ford’s life post-Star Wars so far includes the adventure film The Call of the Wild, based on Jack London’s novel of the same name and the remake of Fox’ 1935 film.
Joonas Suotamo
Joonas Suotamo had his film debut in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Peter Mayhew’s body double, playing Chewbacca in many actions scenes. Suotamo took over the role in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and reprised it in Solo: A Star Wars Story as Mayhew’s health worsened. Suotamo doesn’t have new projects lined up yet.
Domhnall Gleeson
Domhnall Gleeson can brag about being part of two successful film franchises: Harry Potter (where he played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2) and Star Wars. Gleeson is taking it easy after The Rise of Skywalker and the only project he has is Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, reprising his role as Thomas McGregor.
Kelly Marie Tran
Kelly Marie Tran got her big break when she was cast as Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, reprising the role in The Rise of Skywalker (though in a much smaller capacity than in the previous film). Star Wars opened new doors for her, and her future roles include Dawn Betterman in The Croods 2 and Val Little in Disney+’s upcoming series Monsters at Work.
Billy Dee Williams
One of the characters Star Wars fans were most excited to see in The Rise of Skywalker is Lando Calrissian, whose last appearance was in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, 36 years ago. Williams doesn’t have any films or TV shows coming in the near future, but he will most likely keep appearing at fan conventions and continue painting, something that he sees as his legacy.
Ian McDiarmid
Emperor Palpatine’s return was the biggest surprise from the Star Wars sequels, even if it turned out to be not as exciting as expected. Just like Billy Dee Williams, Ian McDiarmid he doesn’t have any projects lined up neither on film or TV, and it’s unknown if he will continue working on theater or any other media.
Keri Russell
Keri Russell played the mysterious Zorii Bliss in The Rise of Skywalker. Bliss is an old acquaintance of Poe Dameron from Kijimi, who later joined the Resistance’s battle against the First Order. Russell will appear in the supernatural horror film Antlers, to be released in April. The film follows teacher Julia Meadows (Russell) and her sheriff brother Paul (Jesse Plemons) who become entwined with a young student in her school who is hiding a secret with frightening consequences.
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o’s character in Star Wars, Maz Kanata, arrived to leave a plot hole and then left – but not without (finally) giving Chewbacca a Medal of Bravery. But that’s in the past (sort of), and Nyong’o’s upcoming project so far is the spy film 355, directed by Simon Kinberg. The film is about agents from different espionage backgrounds who join forces to prevent an organization from disrupting the world. Also starring are Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Sebastian Stan, and Édgar Ramírez.
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant is another very busy man. Following his role as Allegiant General Pryde, he will appear in the action comedy The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, to be released this year. Also arriving in 2020 is Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, based on the musical of the same name by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae. In it, Grant will play Hugo Battersby, a former drag queen by the name of Loco Chanelle. He will also have a role in the upcoming anthology series Dispatches from Elsewhere, set to premiere on AMC in March.
Naomi Ackie
Though The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t Naomi Ackie’s first cinematic role (she played Anna in William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth), and she was already known for playing Bonnie in The End of the F***ing World, her role as Jannah definitely gave her more exposure. Ackie’s post-Star Wars future so far includes the pilot episode for the Game of Thrones prequel series.
Anthony Daniels
Beloved C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels is the only one to appear in all films of the Skywalker saga, as well as Rogue One. He also voiced C-3PO in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Lego Movie, and Ralph Breaks the Internet, and played Tak in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Daniels doesn’t have any projects lined up, so Star Wars fans will have to wait and see what his next adventure will be.
