At Disney's 2020 Investor Day Meeting, Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm announced a new Star Wars movie being directed by Patty Jenkins: Rogue Squadron. The film will focus on fighter pilots in a galaxy far, far away when it releases in more than two years.
Jenkins has directed DC's Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984, with plans to lead a potential Wonder Woman 3. Rogue Squadron is only one of two Star Wars films discussed at Investor Day, the other being Taika Waititi's untitled project.
As Rogue Squadron eyes a Christmas 2023 release date, updates on the film had been minimal before a recent report that Matthew Robinson will pen the script. Jenkins has just given an update on the pre-production stage of Rogue Squadron.
PATTY JENKINS ON WORKING WITH STAR WARS
Patty Jenkins recently told The Hollywood Reporter that working with the Star Wars brain trust is "an entirely different way of working." The director also mentioned that she's "fairly free to do the story that we want to do."
Jenkins revealed she had been working on Rogue Squadron six months before it was announced last December, and they're currently finishing a script:
"It’s going amazing. I had been on it already for six months before I even announced that, so we’re pretty deep into it. We’re finishing a script, crewing up, and it’s all going wonderful. I’m so excited about the story and excited that we’re the next chapter of Star Wars, which is such a responsibility and such an opportunity to really start some new things. It’s really exciting in that way."
Jenkins said she's on "Zoom meetings with everybody involved in Star Wars all the time." She explained that part of the process with working on a Star Wars film is "you really need to know who’s done what, who’s doing what, where it goes and how it works."
"There’s plenty of it. 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."
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DC AND STAR WARS
Some creators may find it difficult to work for a studio like Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm because of the built-in creative restraints they come with. The MCU is known for having an integral plan for all their films with a set list of plot points that need to be met to lead into the next project.
Luckily for fans, Marvel CCO Kevin Feige has repeatedly done a great job working with directors, writers, and producers to collaborate on creating the best product that connect to their universe. Star Wars is somewhat similar as it is all connected, but their planning (or lack thereof) has been well documented.
DC and Warner Bros. have had shaky continuity over the years of building the DCEU. In 2021 they appear to be going the route of focusing on individual movies instead of trying to build an MCU-like universe.
Jenkins working within the DCEU is most likely less detail-oriented regarding continuity. Star Wars canon is connect in movies, Disney+ series, books, and comics. This diverse set of mediums for consuming Star Wars was a major part of when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012.
If the rumors are true that Rogue Squadron is set after Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, this sets up a lot of new challenges with continuity as they will embark on a time never explored on the Star Wars timeline.
Find out how Jenkins' ode to fighter pilots turns out when it soars into theaters Christmas 2023.
