What's up with Rogue Squadron, the Patty Jenkins Star Wars movie?
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Rogue Squadron won't be taking flight any time soon.
Back in December 2020, Disney announced that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins would be helming a new Star Wars movie, an intergalactic adventure focusing on a "new generation of starfighter pilots." It was an exciting announcement: Jenkins is no stranger to turning out big-budget blockbusters, and at the time, she shared a personal video celebrating the news, explaining that she is the daughter of a fighter pilot and couldn't wait to tell a new story set in a galaxy far, far away.
But since then, there's been little news about Rogue Squadron. The film was initially supposed to hit theaters at Christmas 2023, but production was delayed back in November 2021 due to Jenkins' busy schedule. In May, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Vanity Fair that Rogue Squadron was on hold for now, explaining that the film is "kind of pushed off to the side for the moment." "Patty is developing the script further," Kennedy explained at the time.
Now, Disney has made that official. Rogue Squadron has been removed from the studio's official release schedule, with no new date set.
Barry King/Getty Images Patty Jenkins at the 'Wonder Woman' premiere
Rogue Squadron's delay is the latest example of how Lucasfilm has mostly pressed pause on film production while simultaneously ramping up its TV series. On the film side, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is quietly developing a new Star Wars film, but there's been little news about it so far.
A planned film trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has also been put on the back burner, although just a few weeks ago, Johnson told Empire that he still hopes to make those films. "I've stayed close to Kathleen [Kennedy], and we get together often and talk about it," he explained. "It's just at this point a matter of schedule and when it can happen. It would break my heart if I were finished, if I couldn't get back in that sandbox at some point."
Meanwhile, Lucasfilm has never been busier — at least with television production. Ewan McGregor's long-awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi series dropped earlier this year, while Diego Luna's Andor show will arrive this month on Disney+. Additionally, The Mandalorian is returning for season 3 in 2023, along with a new series starring Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka. Two Star Wars live-action series, Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte, are also in development, and that's not even mentioning a whole slew of animated projects.
We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for Rogue Squadron. But in the meantime, if you want to return to a galaxy far, far away, you'd be better off looking to the small screen.
For more Star Wars news, including exclusive interviews with stars like Diego Luna and Genevieve O'Reilly, listen to EW's Star Wars podcast, Dagobah Dispatch.
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