Though much has been made recently of Lucasfilm’s indecision around what direction they wish to advance theatrically, especially with Daisy Ridley‘s Rey, struggling to develop ideas into finished Star Wars films is truly old hat for the studio. One such example of the slip betwixt cup and lip is Rogue Squadron, originally announced during Disney’s 2020 Investor Day presentation and was on track for a December 2023 release with Patty Jenkins directing from a script by Matthew Robinson. Since then, the film has been reported to have been delayed, scrapped, unscrapped, delayed again, back in development and dead in the waters of Dagobah. Now a new report indicates has added another ring to the circus that Rogue Squadron has become.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Lucasfilm has once again set its sights on getting Rogue Squadron into theaters, putting the project back into active development.
Though previous reports indicated Lucasfilm had moved on entirely from Rogue Squadron, meshes with a 2022 statement from Jenkins. “[Lucasfilm] made a new deal with me. In fact, I am still on [Rogue Sqauadron] and that project has been in active development ever since,” said Jenkins via social media. “I don’t know if it will happen or not. We never do until the development process is complete, but I look forward to its potential ahead.” Jenkins explained that her commitment to WB’s Wonder Woman 3 had taken priority and she planned to return to Rogue Squadron once her work on the DC project was done. With a new era underway at DC Studios and Wonder Woman 3 no longer part of their plans, Jenkins seemingly went back to work with Lucasfilm on Rogue Squadron.
I originally left Rogue Squadron after a long and productive development process when it became clear it couldn’t happen soon enough and I did not want to delay WW3 any further. When I did, Lucasfilm asked me to consider coming back to RS after WW3, which I was honored to do, so I agreed.
-Patty Jenkins on the status of Rogue Squadron, December 2022
Of course, making any guesses, educated or otherwise as to when Rogue Squadron or any other Star Wars film might start production, much less land in theaters, is a fool’s errand. As of now, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars slate is made up of The Mandalorian and Grogu, in theaters May 22, 2026, and an Untitled Star Wars film dated for December 17, 2027. To that end, Rogue Squadron may or may not have as good of a chance of landing in theaters in 2027 as James Mangold‘s Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni ‘s “Heir to the Empire”, the first film Simon Kinberg‘s recently announced trilogy or Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy‘s Rey-led, New Jedi Order film, if that project is even still part of the studio’s plan.
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