Summary

• Daisy Ridley's career post-Star Wars lacks success both financially and critically.
• Ridley's Disney movie may struggle due to releasing shortly after Nyad, a previous successful film that has a similar premise.
• Being a Disney film gives Young Woman and the Sea a chance to help Ridley break her streak.

Ridley had some great moments as Rey, her career has grown beyond Star Wars. It hasn't gone without growing pains, though, and her next movie could continue a worrying trend for the actor.

Ridley's next project with Disney is Young Woman and the Sea, a biopic about Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Based on the subject matter, it seems Young Woman and the Sea will be a triumphant and uplifting story. That tone may not be enough to make it a success, though, and the movie will have several obstacles to overcome. Ridley is set to work with Disney and Star Wars again on a project tentatively referred to as New Jedi Order, but before then, Young Woman and the Sea faces some problems.

Daisy Ridley's Young Woman & The Sea Is Releasing Shortly After Nyad

The movies have similar premises, and will likely be compared

Young Woman and the Sea will have a difficult time standing out, as it's set to release less than a year after another very similar movie. Nyad was released on September 1, 2023, and it told the story of Diana Nyad, the first and only person to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. Since both movies focus on true stories of women becoming the first to accomplish an impressive feat in the arena of swimming, Young Woman and the Sea will be constantly compared to Nyad. The problems posed by Nyad don't end there, though.

Nyad was an exceptionally well-received movie, garnering 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also went on to receive several awards and was nominated for two Oscars: Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a ing Role. Because of Nyad's accolades, Young Woman and the Sea will have an even tougher time differentiating itself and avoiding comparisons. If it doesn't perform as well as or better than Nyad, it will also receive criticism for handling its similar premise worse than a movie that's already been released. Outperforming Nyad may be difficult, though, especially considering Daisy Ridley's recent career trend.

Daisy Ridley Hasn't Had Much Success After Her Star Wars Role

None of her recent movies have managed to stand out financially or critically

Ridley's biggest role to date has been the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which earned billions of dollars at the box office over the course of its three movies. Since Ridley's last appearance in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, she has diversified her filmography with several movies outside the franchise. Unfortunately, none of Ridley's most recent movies have come close to the popularity or success of her Star Wars films. Though Ridley was often praised for her acting in them, most of her movies have failed to find a niche.

While some of Ridley's films have been well-received by critics, such as Sometimes I Think About Dying and The Inventor, they were smaller movies that struggled to find wide audiences. Several things went wrong with Chaos Walking, her most mainstream movie to date, so it was critically panned and plans to turn it into a franchise were scrapped. Ridley has yet to find a role outside of Star Wars that she can both financially and critically shine in, but Young Woman and the Sea has one major advantage that could make it her a standout role.

Young Woman & The Sea Being A Disney Movie Is An Advantage For Daisy Ridley

One of the main advantages of Young Woman and the Sea is that it is a Disney movie. Just by nature of its production company, it will likely be a family-friendly movie, which should grant it wider appeal. Its PG rating should also help differentiate Young Woman and the Sea from Nyad, which features some mature themes and a PG-13 rating. Ridley has also proven herself more than capable of excelling in family roles before, both in Star Wars and animated features like The Inventor. It likely won't be easy, but Young Woman and the Sea could break Daisy Ridley's streak of average films.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes