In a Shocking Turn of Events, Patty Jenkins Says She is Getting Back to Work on ‘Rogue Squadron’
Before last year’s announcement at Star Wars Celebration that three new films were in development, it looked like Patty Jenkins’s Rogue Squadron would be the next big entry in the Star Wars canon.
The film was initially announced during Disney Investory’s broadcast on December 10, 2020, when Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the film would be directed by Patty Jenkins.
Photo: Hollywood Reporter
The film was initially slated for a December 16, 2022, release, with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss writing the script.
‘Rogue Squadron’s’ Troubled Production
After a series of delays, on September 15, 2022, Disney removed Rogue Squadron from the release calendar. Then came last year’s Star Wars Celebration.
With the announcement that Daisy Ridley would be returning as Rey Skywalker, Dave Filoni would bring together the heroes of the New Republic, and James Mangold would delve into the Dawn of the Jedi.
Photo: Lucasfilm
Suddenly, Rogue Squadron no longer seemed like a top priority at Lucasfilm.
While the film seemed like it would be yet another canceled Star Wars property, in a recent interview, Patty Jenkins revealed that she is still working on Rogue Squadron.
Why Jenkins Stopped Working on ‘Rogue Squadron’
As it turns out, it was Jenkins’s involvement in Wonder Woman 3 that delayed Rogue Squadron’s development. With that former film now shelved, Jenkins is set to work on Star Wars again.
Image: Warner Brothers
“When I left ‘Star Wars’ to do ‘Wonder Woman 3,’ and I started working on that, we talked about, ‘Well, maybe I’ll come back to “Star Wars” after “Wonder Woman 3,”‘ so we started a deal for that to happen,” Jenkins said.
With the Hollywood strikes behind them and Wonder Woman 3 on the shelf, Jenkins signed her agreement with Lucasfilm.
Image: Star Wars
“When ‘Wonder Woman 3’ then went away, Lucasfilm and I were like ‘Oh, we’ve got to finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning, so I now owe a draft of ‘Star Wars.’ So we will see what happens there. Who knows.”
Back to Work
According to the director, she is getting back to work.
“They have a hard job in front of them of, ‘What’s the first movie they’re going to do?’” Jenkins added about Lucasfilm. “They have other directors who have been working, but I am now back on doing ‘Rogue Squadron.’ We’ll see what happens. We need to get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
Photo: Vanity Fair
While Rogue Squadron may not be dead after all, the director is not sure how the film will fit into the larger Star Wars strategy.
“They have a hard job in front of them of, ‘What’s the first movie they’re going to do?’” Jenkins added about Lucasfilm. “They have other directors who have been working, but I am now back on doing ‘Rogue Squadron.’ We’ll see what happens. We need to get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
Photo: Disney
Hopefully, we will see Rogue Squadron on the big screen after all.
