Summary

Star Wars' Daisy Ridley trades her lightsaber for an ax in the first look at the new survival thriller,We Bury the Dead. Written and directed by Zak Hilditch, the upcoming film follows a woman who, desperate to find her husband after a disastrous military experiment destroys the population of Tasmania, joins a body retrieval unit, but her search takes a chilling turn when the bodies she’s burying begin showing signs of life. WithRidley in the lead role, the cast also includes Mark Coles Smith, Brenton Thwaites, Kym Jackson, Matt Whelan, Deanna Cooney, and Holly Hargreaves.

Now,first-look images from Ridley’s new survival thriller,We Bury the Dead, have been revealedviaVariety. Check them out below:

Trudy Ederly looks out at the sea before her English Channel swim in Young Woman and the Sea movie still

The first image shows Ridley trading her lightsaber for an ax, and across all three photos, her character appears worn out as she travels to southern Tasmania, hoping to confront her unresolved issues despite an overwhelming sense of futility.

She’s Turned Around Her Career With Some Strong Performances

Ridley rose from relative obscurity to superstardom when she was cast asRey in theStar Warssequel trilogyin 2015. However, afterRise of Skywalkercapped off the trilogy in disappointing fashion in 2019,Ridley continued to star in a series of critically panned projects. This includesChaos Walking, a critical and commercial disaster that quickly killed any chance of a film franchise based on author Patrick Ness' dystopian sci-fi trilogy. In 2023, Ridley starred in the psychological thriller,The Marsh King’s Daughter, another critical and commercial failure.

However,Ridley’s career saw a turning pointwhen she starred in and produced the independent drama,Sometimes I Think About Dying, which was a hit at Sundance in 2023, with her exceptionally sorrowful performance being the subject of much praise. Ridley’s resurgence continued into 2024 with Disney’sYoung Woman and the Sea,in which her performance as Gertrude Ederl, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, also received much praise.

Young Woman And The Sea Review: Daisy Ridley Stars In Heartfelt, Genuine Biopic About Daring Swimmer

The film is sincere; it’s not forcing us to feel something as the story unfolds. We do feel, though, thanks to the writing & the actors’ performances.

WithWe Bury the Deadas her next project,Ridley has a chance to continue her recent resurgence. The film is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival in November, so the critical response will soon become clear. If the positive critical response to Hilditch’s past projects,1922andThese Final Hours, is any indication,We Bury the Deadshould be another promising project for Ridley that showcases another strong performance from the actress.