Summary
- Patty Jenkins left Star Wars to work on Wonder Woman 3, but since that project fell through, she has returned to Star Wars
- Jenkins is still in the process of developing Rogue Squadron, a film about a new generation of starfighter pilots in the Star Wars universe
- The film was announced in December 2020 and is being directed by Jenkins
The Patty Jenkins Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie is back on.
Jenkins explains in a recent interview that she left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, but since Wonder Woman 3 isn’t happening, she has returned to Star Wars.
Back in March of 2023, Variety reported both the Patty Jenkins Rogue Squadron and the Kevin Feige Star Wars movie were shelved and were no longer in active development.
While it was assumed the projects were simply canceled, at least for Patty Jenkins, apparently that is not the case.
What did Patty Jenkins say?
While appearing on The Talking Pictures podcast, Patty Jenkins explains she signed back on to Star Wars just prior to the strikes. She still says Rogue Squadron isn’t a done deal but it definitely doesn’t sound canceled:
“When I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, and I went and started working on that, we talked about, ‘Okay, 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 3. So when Wonder Woman 3 then went away, Lucasfilm and I were like, ‘Oh! You gotta finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning. So I now owe a draft of Star Wars, and so we will see what happens there. Like, who knows, they have a hard job in front of them of what’s the first movie they’re going to do. They have other directors that are working but I am now back on doing Rogue Squadron and we’ll see what happens. We need to get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
Wants to do a beautiful Star Wars movie
She also says she “absolutely” would want to do it and wants to make a beautiful Star Wars movie:
Because of exactly what I am saying, Star Wars is a beautiful, the emotion of Star Wars and what it stands for is something so beautiful in this world. In a moment where we are at right now, Star Wars was born out of WWII, right? It was born out of ‘how do you make a metaphor and talk in metaphor? [and George Lucas seeing war pictures of fighter pilots].’ Exactly, and so in that way, I always wanted to make a fighter pilot movie. It has been a dream of mine. I always had a hard time with it because I am in love with the jets of the 70s and 80s and that’s not where the great dog fight stories are; so Star Wars becomes a great playground for that. I think Star Wars is so beautiful, so yes, I can do something beautiful and do something that serves that audience and is great. I would love to do it. Of course, you know.
In a new podcast interview, Patty Jenkins says she’s still working on Rogue Squadron! Huh. https://t.co/6IOQKokP24 pic.twitter.com/tfT853y7Sq
— YZ Freedman (@stoogey) March 13, 2024
What is Rogue Squadron about?
Disney and Lucasfilm first announced the project back in December of 2020 during The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day event.
StarWars.com announced: The next Star Wars feature film will be Rogue Squadron — directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman franchise). The story will 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.
Jenkins said in a statement at the time: “It’s been a lifelong dream as a filmmaker to one day make a great fighter pilot film. 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.”
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement at the time, “Patty has established herself as one of the top directors working in the film industry today. She’s a visionary who knows how to strike the balance between action and heart, and I can’t wait to see what she does in the Star Wars galaxy.”
The following teaser was also released:
