Director Patty Jenkins’ has some bad news for fans hoping to see her next “Star Wars” film.
In 2019, Lucasfilm had their fingers crossed that “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” would help improve the franchise’s reputation after the release of Rian Johnson’s controversial “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which was the second film in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy.
Instead, the film mocked and cast aside many plot threads that director J.J. Abrams set up in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” by eliminating not one, but two, major villains, and working to redeem the third. This left Abrams little to work with in the trilogy’s third act, which resulted in him bringing back Emperor Palpatine as the story’s main villain – a move that has been widely criticized by fans.
There has not been a “Star Wars” film in production since. Disney found major success in the Emmy nominated show “The Mandalorian,” which has earned a celebrity fanbase from KISS rocker Gene Simmons to Lizzo. The show has been so successful that it has also spawned numerous spin-offs, including “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka.”
Reigniting fan nostalgia by introducing new shows like “Kenobi,” centered around Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy, and “Andor,” telling the story of a younger Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) from 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” has been lauded by fans as a step in the right direction.
Still, “Star Wars” did take off as a film franchise first and foremost, and fans were curious to see what “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins would do with a “Star Wars” script. Now, however, it seems that the film might not happen after all.
Patty Jenkins New ‘Star Wars’ Film Has Been Removed From The Production Schedule
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After the COVID-19 pandemic struck the entertainment industry, many films and TV shows were delayed or outright canceled. Disney recently pushed back the release dates for many of their Marvel titles from 2022 to 2023.
It seems that Patty Jenkins’ film, titled “Rogue Squadron,” might be plagued by those same delays. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Rogue Squadron” has been removed from the production schedule.
Although Jenkins and writer Matthew Robinson have been working on the project for over a year, preproduction was anticipated to start by the end of this year. However, Jenkins is already tied to several other commitments, and it seems that Jenkins is unable to make room for “Star Wars” in her busy filming schedule.
What Other Films Is Patty Jenkins Working On?
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Patty Jenkins is currently working on “Wonder Woman 3.” It was just announced a few days ago that Lynda Carter would reprise her role as Asteria after she had a cameo appearance at the end of “Wonder Woman 1984.” Carter is best known for portraying Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV series. Actress Gal Gadot has been playing the iconic superhero in the Jenkins film trilogy.
Jenkins is also working on “Cleopatra,” a period biographical drama written by Laeta Kalogridis. Jenkins and Gadot will continue to collaborate on this new project, as Gadot has been cast as the Egyptian Queen herself. Although studios such as Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Apple bidded on the project, Paramount ultimately secured the rights to the feature, which does not have a release date as of yet.
Fans are concerned that Jenkins’ commitment to these other two blockbuster projects might mean that “Rogue Squadron” might ultimately never see the light of day. After “The Last Jedi” premiered, Johnson revealed that Disney had approached him to create a “Star Wars” trilogy of his own, but no details about that project have ever been revealed.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Marvel director Taika Waititi have also been slated to direct “Star Wars” films, but no further information has emerged about either of those projects.
Although “Rogue Squadron” has a release date of December 23, 2023, it seems likely that it will be pushed back given Jenkin’s other commitments.
But how long will it be until fans can head back to theaters to see a movie set in a galaxy far, far away?
Only time will tell.
