Rey, Finn, & Poe Return To Star Wars In Heir To The First Order Art

Close By Matthew Rudoy Published Jun 14, 2026, 1:32 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account Rey, Finn, and Poe reunite in new Star Wars artwork. Played respectively by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, Rey, Finn, and Poe served as the main trio in the franchise's sequel trilogy films. It was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 that Ridley would be reprising her role in a new movie about the "New Jedi Order" set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker.

Three years later, the status of the project is unclear, though, and there is no confirmation of whether Finn or Poe will ever return. On X, the trio is now back in an image created by Bryan Ward. The fan art is a direct nod to the cover of Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire novel and features Rey, Finn, Poe, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Chewbacca, BB-8, First Order stormtroopers, and Daniel Craig as Jorus C'baoth.

The caption reads: "Them: I heard they are making new Star Wars sequels based on the Heir to the Empire books! Me: Sequels? 'Based' on the Heir to the Empire books?

That might work..." Check out the image below: Heir to the First Order cover art featuring Rey, Finn, and PoeCredit: Bryan Ward The caption and the art itself seemingly connects to the false rumor that the sequel trilogy is being remade based on the story that begins in Heir to the Empire. Instead of erasing the sequel trilogy characters, though, they remain at the forefront of the hypothetical story showcased in this image.

Furthermore, it is called Heir to the First Order and is the first installment in a trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. Heir to the Empire, which is a Star Wars Legend novel, is centered on the threat posed by Grand Admiral Thrawn and the remnants of the once mighty Galactic Empire five years after Return of the Jedi. Elements of this narrative, including Thrawn, have now been incorporated into Star Wars canon via the live-action Ahsoka series and other stories set during the early years of the New Republic's reign.

A similar premise could theoretically be explored with remnants of the First Order in upcoming Star Wars movies set after The Rise of Skywalker, but it does not appear to be the direction that the franchise is pursuing. The first movie in this era is Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling's Starfighter, slated to be released in May 2027. Plot details remain under wraps, but it has been described as a standalone adventure focused on new characters rather than a direct extension of the sequel trilogy.

As for the image's inclusion of Rian Johnson, this refers to his movie trilogy that was announced in 2017, ahead of The Last Jedi's theatrical release, and that has not moved forward since then. Johnson went on to write and direct three Knives Out movies instead, along with creating Peacock's detective series Poker Face, and Lucasfilm has prioritized a variety of other projects in the meantime. Subscribe for smart coverage of Star Wars reunions and rumors Explore deeper context by subscribing to the newsletter: thoughtful analysis and curated highlights on Star Wars reunions, fan art, casting rumors, and industry moves that add clarity to fandom conversations.

Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. The exact combination of characters, plot, and director featured in the fan art is highly unlikely to ever happen, but a live-action reunion between Rey, Finn, and Poe is more plausible.

If Rey's movie announced in 2023 still comes to fruition, it would probably be the most feasible place to bring the three characters back together. Another option is Simon Kinberg's prospective film trilogy, which will reportedly take Star Wars into its next major era, which the sequel trilogy's core trio could help usher in. Star Wars TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, Star Wars Battlefront (2015), Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelse