No “Star Wars” project has been as close to a theatrical release as “Rogue Squadron” has been since “The Rise of Skywalker” in late 2019. Not only was there the title, there was even a promo video for the film featuring director Patty Jenkins ( “Wonder Woman”) shared her passion for flying and revealed why her “Star Wars” project will be about aerial combat. And above all, there was a very specific theatrical release: ‘Rogue Squadron’ was set to open on December 20, 2023, so it would probably still be in some theaters now.
But everything turned out differently. In 2021, it was initially said that there were delays because director Patty Jenkins’ schedule was too busy. Then immediately afterward, reports circulated that the real reason was that the script fell through and had to be reworked again. But because nothing more happened, the project seemed abandoned.
Patty Jenkins: “We have a deal!”
There have been occasional reports in the past about the water level that “Rogue Squadron” has been postponed, but may not be canceled forever. Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy once described “Rogue Squadron” as a “project that wasn’t abandoned, it just didn’t happen.” But it is still talked about. In May 2023, she stated that the pilot action project was still in the books as a possible film or series. But no one really seemed to care. But we may have been wrong.
Because it was precisely around these statements that a new agreement was probably reached between Lucasfilm and possible ‘Rogue Squadron’ creator Patty Jenkins. On the podcast Now, she once again explained to host and film critic Ben Mankiewicz that she actually left “Rogue Squadron” mainly due to time constraints – namely to make “Wonder Woman 3.” But when it recently became clear that this film would never get made because the new DC leadership around James Gunn was working on a reboot of the comic universe, Jenkins resumed talks with Lucasfilm… and, according to his own statement, led them to a successful conclusion, which was quickly clouded again: ‘We made a deal right when the strike started’said Jenkins.
She is referring to the screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood, which started on May 2, 2023 and lasted until the end of September 2023. Jenkins could therefore not start on the film, for which she said she had just signed a new contract. But for a few months now she has been able to do it again – and since the new deal, she says, she has realised: “I now owe them a Star Wars concept.”
A better script is needed
She doesn’t know what will happen next. But She has now returned to ‘Rogue Squadron’, but states: ‘We have to develop something, we have to get to a point where both parties are super happy with it.’
With her statements, Jenkins also proves that the information circulating at the time was not wrong. She probably also preferred “Wonder Woman 3” because the script for “Rogue Squadron” wasn’t good enough. Because if the concept that Matthew Robinson (“Love And Monsters”) wrote based on Jenkins’ story idea had been compelling, they wouldn’t have had to “get to a point where both parties are super happy with it.” One party – and in this scenario it was most likely Lucasfilm – was probably not involved in the old version.
“Star Wars: Rogue Squadron”: Question marks remain
It is unknown whether Jenkins will write the script herself, as she did with her debut ‘Monster’, or collaborate with one or more co-writers (as she did with ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ and the first attempt at ‘Rogue Squadron’). . Not much else is known. We still remember it from the original announcement that the project is about a new generation of fighter pilots, who are about to earn their wings.
While Kathleen Kennedy also raised the possibility that “Rogue Squadron” could one day become a series in an earlier statement, Jenkins only talks about a possible movie in the podcast. Whether she will ever be able to do that remains to be seen. After the project was considered dead for a long time, the opportunities are definitely back.