Rogue Squadron: Patty Jenkins Returns to Long-Delayed Star Wars Movie

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Rogue Squadron: Patty Jenkins Returns to Long-Delayed Star Wars Movie

After Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins left Rogue Squadron to direct Wonder Woman 3, Lucasfilm ultimately decided to remove it from its official theatrical slate over a year ago. Now that Warner Bros. is no longer moving forward with Wonder Woman 3, Jenkins is now free to work with Lucasfilm again to continue development of the Rogue Squadron movie.

During a recent interview with the Talking Pictures podcast, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker confirmed that she has signed a new deal with Lucasfilm to write and direct the highly-anticipated Rogue Squadron movie. Prior to Jenkins’ initial exit, the Star Wars project was originally scheduled for a December 2023 release.

“So, when I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, I thought maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3. So we did a deal for that to happen, started a deal, but I thought I was doing Wonder Woman. When that went away, Lucasfilm and I were like, ‘Oh, we gotta finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was happening,” Jenkins explained.

“So I now owe a draft of Star Wars, and so we will see what happens there. You know, like, who knows? It’s hard. They have a hard job in front of them of what’s the first movie they’re gonna do. They have other directors who have been working, but I am now, you know, I’m back on doing Rogue Squadron and we’ll see what happens. We need to develop, you know, get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”

What to expect in Rogue Squadron?

Rogue Squadron was first announced back in 2020 during Disney’s Investor Day. Based on Michael A. Stackpole’s X-Wing: Rogue Squadron novel, the story is expected to “introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy,” reads the initial synopsis.

“It’s been a lifelong dream as a filmmaker to one day make a great fighter pilot film,” Jenkins said in a statement after the project was announced. “As the daughter of a great fighter pilot myself, some of the best memories of my life are of seeing my father’s squadron take off in their F4s every morning, and hearing and feeling the awe-inspiring power and grace. When he passed away in service to this country it ignited a burning desire to one day channel all of those emotions into one great film. When the perfect story arrived in combination with another true love of mine, the incomparable world of Star Wars, I knew I’d finally found my next film. I’m extremely honored and excited to take it on, and grateful to Lucasfilm, Disney, and the fans for extending that thrill to me.”