Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie hasn't been grounded after all as director shares exciting update

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By Tom Power
published

Red leader, standing by

The cover art for the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D video game, which shows X-Wings and Y-Wings flying through a canyon on a desert planet
Patty Jenkins' Star Wars movie isn't dead after all (Image credit: LucasArts)

After spending years trapped in development hell, it seems the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie is preparing to restart its engines and re-enter development.

The long-gestating film, which was all but consigned to the scrap heap in March 2023, is reportedly set to undergo script rewrites in the near future. That's according to director Patty Jenkins, who revealed as much on the latest episode of the Talking Pictures podcast (as reported by IGN).

Lucasfilm originally shelved the live-action movie in May 2022 after Jenkins committed to directing Wonder Woman 3, which would have brought the Amazonian warrior's trilogy of DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies to a close. Later that year, Disney – Lucasfilm's parent company – removed Rogue Squadron from its long-term release schedule, which concerned fans.

As confusion reigned over the status of the film, Jenkins issued a statement on X/Twitter (see below) in December 2022, saying she only moved on to Wonder Woman 3 "when it became clear it [Rogue Squadron entering full development] couldn’t happen soon enough". Jenkins did, however, confirm that she parted ways with Lucasfilm on good terms, and that she'd be open to restarting work on Rogue Squadron if the opportunity arose.

With Wonder Woman 3 no longer in active development – the character isn't getting a standalone movie in James Gunn's new-look DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) any time soon – Jenkins and Lucasfilm are ready to begin working on Rogue Squadron once more.

"When I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, and I started working on that, we [Jenkins and Lucasfilm] talked about ‘Well, maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3,’ so we started a deal for that to happen," Jenkins explained on the Talking Pictures podcast. "When Wonder Woman 3 then went away, Lucasfilm and I were like ‘Oh, we’ve got to finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning, so I now owe a draft of Star Wars."

It'll be a while yet before Star Wars: Rogue Squadron fires up its hyperdrive and flies into theaters, then, but there are plenty of new Star Wars TV shows and movies to look forward in the interim. Indeed, with a big-screen sequel to hit Disney Plus show The Mandalorian – titled The Mandalorian & Grogu – plus the debut of hotly anticipated series like Star Wars: The Acolyte, fans of George Lucas' iconic sci-fi franchise will be eating well for years to come.

Franchise flyers

A piece of concept art showing The Mandalorian & Grogu diving away from an exploding ship in their Star Wars movie

The Mandalorian and Grogu is one of many in-development Star Wars movies that are due out in the coming years. (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

If you've been taken aback by the sheer volume of in-development Star Wars films that are on the way, you're not alone. After the most recent Star Wars movie – The Rise of Skywalker – was met with a *ahem* lukewarm reception in 2019, Disney and Lucasfilm appeared to be pivoting away from silver screen adventures in that famous galaxy far, far away. Indeed, the spate of Star Wars shows that have been pumped out by Lucasfilm over the past three years – Star Wars: Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Andor among them – suggested that the Disney subsidiary was done making movies.

So, what happened to change that? The reinstatement of former CEO Bob Iger happened. Having retired in 2020, Iger returned to steady the Disney ship following the departure of his divisive successor Bob Chapek. Determined to turn the ailing entertainment behemoth's flagging fortunes around, Iger set about leaning on Disney's biggest franchises – Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Frozen – to entice audiences back into theaters. In short: say hello to Toy Story 5, two Frozen sequels, a revised 'quality over quantity' approach with MCU flicks, and a glut of new Star Wars movies.

From Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Rey-led standalone film and a Taika Waititi-directed flick, to James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi movie and Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, there are numerous new Lucasfilm big-screen projects in the works. It's unclear which ones will eventually see the light of day but, under the guidance of Iger, Star Wars is readying itself to make a grand return to cinemas worldwide – and we can't wait. In the meantime, find out how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

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Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.