After a long period of silence and multiple reports hinting at a troubled production, Patty Jenkins' Star Wars project, Rogue Squadron, receives its most promising update in a while as part of a larger statement by the filmmaker. Jenkins' Star Wars film was announced during Lucasfilm's segment of Disney's 2020 Investor Day presentation and was originally slated for release in 2023. While details of the film story were largely unknown, Rogue Squadron was announced to have consisted of an original story that centered on a daring squadron of new starfighter pilot hopefuls and was stated to set standards for what audiences can expect from the franchise's film future following the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga.As part of a statement released by Jenkins through her personal Twitter account in which she addresses the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3, the director offers insight into the production of Rogue Squadron. After revealing she had signed a new deal with Lucasfilm following uncertainty about her priorities regarding the Wonder Woman sequel's production, Jenkins states that Rogue Squadron is still in active development, despite recent reports suggesting the film had been shelved permanently, with the director looking forward to the film's potential. Check out her full discussion about Rogue Squadron's current status in the full statement below:
What We Know About Rogue Squadron
While details of Rogue Squadron's story weren't publicly known to audiences, a short teaser video featuring Jenkins was released alongside the original announcement. Inspired by her fascination with flying and her family's piloting history, Jenkins revealed she hoped to use her Star Wars feature film to craft the "greatest fighter pilot movie" of all time, while preparing to take flight in the familiar T-65 X-Wing model used throughout the original trilogy. As such, along with the film's title being inspired by Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) fighter squadron, it can be assumed that Rogue Squadron may have taken place in the still relatively unexplored post-Galactic Civil War period between the original and sequel trilogies, since, while the Rebellion had become the governing New Republic, T-65s were not yet replaced with the sequel trilogy's T-70 X-Wings.
Despite the promising update, however, Rogue Squadron might not be the next Star Wars movie following its removal from Disney's 2023 release calendar. While a number of Star Wars feature film productions are still reportedly in development, including from Damon Lindelof, Kevin Feige, Rian Johnson, Shawn Levy, and Taika Waititi, it is currently unclear whose film will enter production the soonest, with Johnson, Levy, and Waititi's commitments to other projects keeping them preoccupied for the foreseeable future. However, with recent rumors emerging surrounding Lindelof's post-The Rise of Skywalker-set film and sequel trilogy star Daisy Ridley having recently met with Lucasfilm, it is possible that the Lost creator may be the first to enter production, with Jenkins set to follow soon after.
Though Rogue Squadron's story is only known by a few, Jenkins' upcoming film has the potential to become a hit for Lucasfilm as they seek to redefine what a Star Wars movie can be. With audiences having been gripped by the high-flying dogfighting of Top Gun: Maverick throughout 2022, a fighter-centric Star Wars story can take advantage by giving moviegoers a similar experience in a galaxy far, far away. And, despite the franchise more than proving itself successful on the small screen, Jenkins' update will be welcomed by those eager to see Star Wars in theaters again
Source: Patty Jenkins/Twitter