There are long-running movie franchises, and there's Star Wars. The fandom spans generations, most of which grew up on the galaxy far, far away. But after the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise has been noticeably missing from theaters, instead expanding thanks to shows available with a Disney+ subscription. There are a number of upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, many of which are still early in the development process. I thought Rogue Squadron was DOA, but is Patty Jenkins' Star Wars movie still happening after all?
Despite its announcement and tease, it was revealed in 2021 that Rogue Squadron was put on on indefinite hold by the studio. No major announcements for that project have happened in years, with Patty Jenkins allegedly having creative differences with the studio. But the Wonder Woman filmmaker recently appeared on the Talking Pictures podcast, where she revealed that Rogue Squadron might still happen after all. As she put it:
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. So I now owe a draft of Star Wars and so we will see what happens there. You know, like, who knows?
Well, there you have it. Sounds like Jenkins is still interested in putting her spin on the Star Wars franchise with Rogue Squadron. So perhaps this project could still end up coming together, years after it was originally expected to arrive in theaters. Fingers (and lightsabers) crossed!
Per Jenkins' recollection, it was her commitment to the Wonder Woman franchise that originally took her away from Rogue Squadron. But Wonder Woman 3 was cancelled, as as the DCEU as a whole. Later in that same interview, Jenkins spoke about her continued attachment to her Star Wars flick, saying:
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.
There you have it. Jenkins isn't wrong, as movie side of Star Wars is still very much a question mark. Lucasfilm announced a new trilogy, but none of those developing movies have real timelines for production just yet. Then there's other announced projects like Taika Waititi's movie. Hopefully Lucasfilm moves forward with one of these titles sooner rather than later.
The Star Wars franchise is currently streaming on Disney+. For now, check out the 2024 movie release dates.
