Everything We Know About ROGUE SQUADRON
For a while now, the theatrical future of Star Wars has remained unclear. We have The Mandalorian on Disney+, and a few other announcements—like Taika Waititi’s movie—but the general direction was mostly hazy. Luckily, it’s starting to come into focus. At The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day event in 2020, Lucasfilm announced a slate of new programming. This included plans for both Disney+ and the big screen. We can’t wait for The Mandalorian spinoffs, Waititi’s new movie, and Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte series. But the really big announcement was Rogue Squadron, the next Star Wars movie to hit theaters.
Here’s everything we know about Rogue Squadron so far.
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Who’s directing?
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins will direct Rogue Squadron. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced the exciting news at a Disney shareholders event. This is a big deal. Finally, a female director will helm one of the big-screen Star Wars projects. Jenkins’ involvement is also a personal one. Her decision to make the leap to the galaxy far, far away has ties to her father. Here’s Jenkins’ full statement, straight from StarWars.com:
“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.”
The announcement also came with a special video that Jenkins posted to her Twitter account.
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 10, 2020
When does the movie take place?
We know very little about the plot of Rogue Squadron so far. But one sneaky detail did make it into StarWars.com’s writeup about the film. “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.” Future era, you say? It seems likely, then, that the film is set after The Rise of Skywalker.
Lucasfilm
What is Rogue Squadron about?
In an interview with IGN, Jenkins revealed that the film will be influenced by the 1998 video game series and Legends books. But it will ultimately tell its own story.
“[In Rogue Squadron] we’re doing something original with great influence from the games and the books,” Jenkins said. “There’s a lot of things being acknowledged and understood about the greatness of all of those things, but yes, it’s an original story and I’m so psyched to do it.”
Who will star in Rogue Squadron?
No casting announcements have been made so far, but stay tuned to this space!
What’s the release date?
Rogue Squadron was removed from the release calendar. As of December 13, 2022, Jenkins confirmed the movie is still in active development but doesn’t know if the movie will happen.
Originally published on December 11, 2020.
