Against all odds, it seems Patty Jenkins’ ‘Star Wars’ movie ‘Rogue Squadron’ is not dead

It’s been some time since we heard about Rogue Squadron, Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars standalone movie. So long in fact that fans assumed the project was dead and buried. Well, according to Jenkins herself, that might not be the case.

In a recent episode of TMC and Max’s Talking Pictures podcast, Jenkins was invited to discuss her experience as a female director in Hollywood. The conversation eventually turned to Rogue Squadron, one of the many Star Wars movies that had gone silent in recent years. Jenkins revealed that she had reviewed her deal with Lucasfilm before last year’s writers’ strike and is still actively working on the spinoff. As Jenkins puts it:

“When I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, and I went and started working on that, we talked about it, “Okay, well, maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3.” We made a deal for that to happen. (…) When Wonder Woman 3 went away, Lucasfilms and I were like, “Oh, we got to finish this deal.” We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning. (…)  I’m 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.”

The Rogue Squadron rollercoaster explained

Rogue Squadron was first announced in 2020 when Disney laid out an ambitious plan for the Star Wars universe, which included multiple movies and TV shows. At the time, we were all excited about Jenkins handling a Rogue Squadron spinoff, especially after she did such a wonderful job with Wonder Woman. To sweeten the deal, Jenkins even went on record to tell fans Lucasfilm gave her free reign to tackle the spinoff.

Sadly, as Disney’s Star Wars projects failed to gather the expected attention from fans, the House of the Mouse changed its plans for the franchise. Rogue Squadron, which was initially set to hit theaters last year, was removed entirely from the company’s release schedule, a move that typically signifies the end for a movie.

It’s welcome news that the project is still alive, as Rogue Squadron has the potential to tell a grounded Star Wars story in theaters. While little is known about the movie, the title betrays that this spinoff will focus on the Rogue Squadron, an elite attack group created by Luke Skywalker when the Rebels attacked the first Death Star. Recent Star Wars TV shows have been exploring what happened in the galaxy far, far away before and after the original trilogy. Rogue Squadron, however, can give fans a new perspective on the war against the Empire.

Jenkins wants Rogue Squadron to be a war movie

During the podcast, Jenkins also discussed her vision for Rogue Squadron. As Jenkins sees it, “Star Wars was born out of World War II” as a metaphor for one of the darkest chapters in human history. The director also underlines how the franchise’s longevity can be explained by its powerful message of freedom and hope. As she puts it, “The emotion of Star Wars and what it stands for is something so beautiful in this world, and particularly in a moment that we’re at right now.”

For Rogue Squadron, Jenkins hopes to capture the essence of Star Wars and tell a war story. With the spinoff, the director will fulfill her long-lived dream of shooting a film focused on aircraft dogfights. In Jenkins’ words:

“I’ve always wanted to make a fighter pilot movie. It’s been a dream of mine. I always had a hard time with it because I’m in love with the jets of the ’70s and ’80s, and that’s not where the great dogfight stories are. Star Wars becomes a great playground for that. I think Star Wars is so beautiful. So yes, if I can do something beautiful and do something that serves that audience and is great, I would love to do it.”

While no Star Wars movies are scheduled for 2024, several TV shows are expected to premiere on Disney Plus this year, including Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte.