Patty Jenkins is trading in the idyllic magical island of Themiscyra for a war-torn galaxy far, far away. In a blockbuster announcement made during Disney’s Investors Day presentation it was revealed that the Wonder Woman filmmaker will be directing Rogue Squadron, a brand new live-action Star Wars feature film focused on the iconic team of X-Wing pilots so central to so many Star Wars stories.
In a short teaser vid originally posted to Twitter, Jenkins revealed that as the daughter of a fighter pilot father who gave his life in service to his country, she had spent a long time looking for a way to make “the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time” and now she’s found that with this Star Wars feature.
As somebody who is both a huge fan of Jenkins’ previous work, and has a bookshelf filled with X-Wing: Rogue Squadron novels right behind him as he writes this, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this film! It won’t be a straight adaptation of those novels though, which mostly followed established classic characters like Wedge Antilles. Instead, it’s been revealed that by Lucasfilm that Rogue Squadron 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.” I’m going to be guessing that this will be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
Jenkins, no stranger to shattering the glass ceiling thanks to her record-breaking work on Wonder Woman, is also making history here as the first woman to ever direct a Star Wars feature film. Rogue Squadron is also being joined by the previously reported Star Wars feature film directed by Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi which has finally been made official. No further details about it have been revealed though, but Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy stated that “Taika’s approach to Star Wars will be fresh, unexpected, and… unique,” and that “his enormous talent and sense of humour will ensure that audiences are in for an unforgettable ride.”
Rogue Squadron is currently scheduled for release on 25 December 2023.
Last Updated: December 12, 2020
