Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron delay could be good news for Wonder Woman 3's release date. Following the massive success of Wonder Woman in 2017, Jenkins became one of Hollywood's most coveted directors. This included Lucasfilm's interest in her tackling a Star Wars movie, which was surprisingly announced in late 2020 as part of Disney's Investor Day. However, Rogue Squadron is now reportedly getting delayed, and that might be a good sign for her next movie in the DC Extended Universe.
Warner Bros. and DC Films officially announced Patty Jenkins would return to direct Wonder Woman 3. The announcement came after Wonder Woman 1984's release, which was met with mixed reviews and struggled at the box office due to COVID-19's impact on movie theaters. This didn't deter the studios and Jenkins from pressing forward with Wonder Woman 3, as the Gal Gadot-led sequel was reportedly being fast-tracked. It remained unclear how this could happen given Jenkins' commitments to Star Wars, but Rogue Squadron's delay might provide the answer.
The news of Rogue Squadron's release delay came with the explanation that it was due to scheduling conflicts on the part of Patty Jenkins. She is only committed to directing two other movies outside of Star Wars: the aforementioned Wonder Woman 3 and a Cleopatra biopic. Of those two projects, Wonder Woman 3 is the one that would make the most sense to create scheduling conflicts for Jenkins. WB and DC's desire to fast-track the sequel and get Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman back on the big screen is known, and that quick turnaround might then be what brought Jenkins and Lucasfilm to agree to take Rogue Squadron a bit slower. This is undoubtedly disappointing news for fans of the galaxy far, far away, but it should be a positive sign for Wonder Woman 3's development speeding along and creating the scheduling issues for Jenkins.
Details on Rogue Squadron's story and original production timeline weren't previously confirmed, but the film's December 2023 release date meant that the movie would likely begin filming sometime in 2022. This won't be happening now in light of its delay, which leaves Jenkins' schedule wide open for Wonder Woman 3. Jenkins, Gadot, and Lynda Carter have increasingly been teasing details about the sequel, so there does appear to be positive momentum behind the film. This could even mean Wonder Woman 3's release date is announced before too long. If it is the movie that created scheduling issues for Rogue Squadron, audiences could even see the sequel arrive as soon as 2023.
Warner Bros. and DC have announced a full slate of DCEU movies through the start of 2023, but Wonder Woman 3 is not currently part of the slate. The furthest dated DCEU movie at this moment is Shazam: Fury of the Gods in June 2023. If the sequel begins filming sometime in 2022, then Wonder Woman 3 could be the second DCEU movie of 2023. The studios could put Wonder Woman 3's release date in December and follow the release window that Wonder Woman 1984 received. But if they are interested in returning the franchise to the summer season, then Wonder Woman 3's release date could wait until 2024. In any case, it now appears that it will come out before Rogue Squadron.
