Rogue Squadron is an upcoming Star Wars film.[1] It will be directed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.[1]
Publisher's summary
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.
Lock S-foils in attack position: Rogue Squadron arrives in theaters Christmas 2023.[1]
Development
Initial reveals
- "When [my father] lost his life in service to [the United States], it ignited a desire in me to turn all of that tragedy and thrill into one day making the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time. But try as I might and look as I did, I couldn't find the right story ever. I kept looking and looking, but I just couldn't find the right one. Now I found a story about two things I love."
- ―Patty Jenkins
Rogue Squadron was first announced during a Disney investor's broadcast on December 10, 2020 where Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed the film's title, release date, and director, Patty Jenkins.[5] At the same time as the broadcast, Jenkins released a video on her Twitter account, where she discussed the film's personal connection to her, as her father was a pilot.[4] On December 12, Jenkins revealed that Rogue Squadron will be an entirely new and original story and not an adaptation of the novel and video game series.[6] On December 14, in an interview with Collider, Jenkins revealed that the film has been in development for a long while, with a story treatment almost having been completed. She also expressed her excitement over the story, and said that a writer had been already hired for the project, but had not yet been revealed.[7] A day later, on December 15, in an interview with Yahoo!, Jenkins discussed the high amount of pressure she felt to direct a Star Wars film, and how her position as the first woman director of a film in the franchise was a "groundbreaking position."[8]
On June 25, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter, via their "Heat Vision" newsletter, reported that screenwriter Matthew Robinson was attached to write the script for the film.[3] On June 29, in an interview with the Associated Press, stated that the film would honor books from author Michael A. Stackpole in the Star Wars: X-Wing series as well as the video game series, while also bringing the story into a "new age."[9] In an interview with the news site a month later, Jenkins explained how she was developing the film with Lucasfilm: "It's an entirely different way of working. I'm on the phone with all of them and doing Zoom meetings with everybody involved in Star Wars all the time. I'm fairly free to do the story that we want to do, but you really need to know who's done what, who's doing what, where it goes and how it works, and what designs have been done before. It's a whole other way of working that I'm getting up to speed on."[10]
Production troubles
- "I originally left Rogue Squadron after a long and productive development process when it became clear it couldn't happen soon enough and I did not want to delay WW3 any further. When I did, Lucasfilm asked me to consider coming back to RS after WW3, which I was honored to do, so I agreed. They made a new deal with me. In fact, I am still on it and that project has been in active development ever since. I don't know if it will happen or not. We never do until the development process is complete, but I look forward to its potential ahead."
- ―Patty Jenkins
On November 8, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Rogue Squadron had originally been slated to begin production in 2022, but was delayed due to Patty Jenkins's commitments to other projects. Therefore, the film was officially taken off of Lucasfilm's production schedule.[12]
In May 2022, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that Rogue Squadron had been pushed off to the side by Lucasfilm.[13] On December 13 of the same year, Patty Jenkins released a public statement regarding her projects. In her statement, Jenkins clarified that she originally left the film after a long and productive development process which threatened to delay her next project. Jenkins stated that when she left, Lucasfilm asked her to reconsider returning once her project was complete, which she agreed to. A new deal was made and the project had been in active development as of December 2022, though Jenkins confirmed that she was not sure if it would actually happen or not.[11]
On March 7, 2023, Variety reported that the film was no longer in development.[14] At Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy spoke to IGN in an interview, saying that Rogue Squadron was a project they continue to currently discuss at Lucasfilm, and that it may remain as a film or may be transformed into a series.[15]
Development recommences
- "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."
- ―Patty Jenkins
On March 12, 2024, while on the Talking Pictures podcast from Turner Classic Movies, Jenkins revealed that she had signed a deal to write a new draft of Rogue Squadron for Lucasfilm the prior year, right before the beginning of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, and still owed the company her draft. She also reiterated that she would "absolutely be happy" directing a project in the Star Wars franchise.[16] However, on October 31, it was announced that Jenkins was actively in development on and had signed a major deal to write, direct, and produce a movie in the Lego franchise for Universal Pictures.[17] Jenkins has since not commented on the status of Rogue Squadron or her attachment to the project.
In March 2025, Michael A. Stackpole, author of the X-Wing book series confirmed that he had exchanged "cursory notes back and forth" with Jenkins regarding the film at some point in its development, and speculated on the possibility of Jenkins using several characters from his book series,[18] referring to her comments on honoring his series back in a June 2021 interview.[9] When asked if Denis Lawson would reprise his role as Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles, Stackpole said he was unsure, but assumed the film would take place after Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, and thus Lawson would be perfect to depict Wedge at that point in the timeline.[18]
In April 2025, during Celebration Japan, the film Star Wars: Starfighter, with similar themes to that of Rogue Squadron, was announced. Similar to prior rumors about Rogue Squadron, the film is set to take place after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker and is directed by Shawn Levy.[19]
Release and reception
On May 7, 2019, Disney released its 2020–2027 theatrical release schedule, with a Star Wars film scheduled for December 16, 2022.[20] The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15.[21] The release date slot was originally for the first entry in a film series by Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.[22] After the pair's departure from the project, the release slot stayed on Disney's calendar and was delayed to December 22, 2023 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] Thereafter, the release date slot was given to Rogue Squadron.[5] On September 15, 2022, Disney officially removed Rogue Squadron and the release date slot from its calendar.[24]
Credits
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Organizations and titles
Vehicles and vessels
Sources
The Star Wars Show: Star Wars Dates Announced, Plus We Won an Emmy! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)- Future Lucasfilm Projects Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- This Week! in Star Wars Exciting Lucasfilm Announcements, A New Story From The High Republic, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- Star Wars: Best of 2020 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 200
Notes and references
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External links
- Disney Investor Day 2020 on the Walt Disney Company's official website (backup link)
- Patty Jenkins on 'Star Wars' Movie 'Rogue Squadron' & Who Is Writing the Script on Collider.com (backup link archived on April 4, 2023)
- Disney Removes 'Star Wars' Spinoff 'Rogue Squadron' From Release Calendar, Sets Dates for 'Snow White,' 'Inside Out 2' and 'Lion King' Sequel on Variety (backup link archived on November 30, 2023)
- Patty Jenkins 'Star Wars' Movie 'Rogue Squadron' Delayed (Exclusive) on The Hollywood Reporter (backup link archived on August 30, 2023)
- Patty Jenkins Thinks Streaming's Day-and-Date Strategy Won't Last on The Hollywood Reporter (backup link archived on July 7, 2021)
- Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron Movie Is Not a Video Game Adaptation on IGN (backup link archived on December 12, 2020)
- Star Wars Rogue Squadron Could Still Happen, Says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy on IGN (backup link)
- Patty Jenkins talks groundbreaking 'Rogue Squadron' gig: 'I feel a huge amount of pressure to make a great "Star Wars" film' on Yahoo! (backup link archived on September 10, 2022)
- Star Wars Forever: How Kathleen Kennedy Is Expanding the Galaxy on Vanity Fair (backup link archived on May 18, 2022)
