Sigourney Weaver Has an Optimistic Take on the Future of ‘Star Wars’

Few people know as much about franchises as Sigourney Weaver. The Oscar-nominated legend currently has three big ones under her belt—Ghostbusters, Alien, and Avatar—and next year, she’s adding a fourth: Star Wars. “It was not my intention to find a fourth franchise,†Weaver recently said. “I didn’t ever imagine that I would enter the Star Wars world.â€

What changed? Well, Weaver is one of the new additions in next year’s Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu. And, in an excellent interview with Empire, Weaver explains why she decided to go to a galaxy far, far away.

“It’s always the script,†Weaver said. “So [with] The Mandalorian and Grogu, it was not my intention to find a fourth franchise, I didn’t ever imagine that I would enter the Star Wars world. But what’s interesting about Star Wars now is they’re no longer trying to do the Star Wars to end all Star Wars. They’re letting the universe exist, and tell[ing] really interesting stories within that.â€

That’s certainly a nice way to put things in regard to Star Wars, isn’t it? For the past few years (and kind of kick-started by the reaction to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi), the franchise has floundered trying to find its footing. And maybe that’s because, as Weaver said, they were always trying to find “the Star Wars to end all Star Wars.†(Star Peace? We digress.) And so, by focusing the story—like with The Mandalorian and Grogu and the seemingly separate Star Wars: Starfighter—Weaver is suggesting staying outside the box will be the key to reinvigorating the franchise.

As for her role, Weaver credits the film’s writer and director, Jon Favreau, with bringing her in. “I think Jon Favreau thought, ‘Okay, we want this very strong character. Let’s make it a woman,’†Weaver said. “I’m not sure it was supposed to be a woman. I think again, these days, they often think, ‘What do I need to do to make this seem more timely?’ and now, because women are doing everything, hooray for us. [But] I just fell in love with the script and said, ‘I don’t know anything about this world.’ Jon said, ‘Well, you can watch the series,’ and I said, ‘Oh, there’s a series?!’â€

That, right there, is why Weaver’s perspective on Star Wars is so interesting. She didn’t even know this movie was based on a TV series. She’s coming at it with fresh eyes. And if she thinks this movie puts things on the right path, that’s certainly encouraging.

Weaver can next be seen in Avatar: Fire and Ash, in theaters December 19. The Mandalorian and Grogu opens on May 22, 2026.

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