The hyperdrive on Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars movie appears to have broken down, delaying the film’s release. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jenkin’s busy schedule and prior commitments mean her Rogue Squadron movie won’t be able to film next year.
The science fiction movie has reportedly been removed from the production schedule for now, but it’s hoped that Jenkins will return to the film once she’s fulfilled her prior commitments. Rogue Squadron, the first Star Wars movie since Rise of Skywalker and the first to be directed by a woman, is still set for release on December 22, 2023, but it’s likely that date will shift to accommodate the delay in filming.
Jenkins is in demand at the moment, but it’s unclear what exactly is holding up her Star Wars movie. She’s currently working on a Cleopatra movie for Paramount and developing Wonder Woman 3 for Warners. Sources tell THR that her next DCEU movie was supposed to start filming after Rogue Squadron, so your guess is as good as ours.
Lucasfilm has plenty of other irons in the fire, though, to keep it busy while Jenkins gets her ducks in a row. Rian Johnson is reported to be developing his own trilogy of films, while Taika Watiti and the MCU’s Kevin Feige both have spin-off movies in the works.
According to the official Star Wars website, Jenkins film will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots to audiences 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.”
Jenkins has said that the film will tell an original story but will be inspired by the books and games that came before it. When Disney announced the project, Jenkins said she was using her father, a fighter pilot, as the film’s inspiration and explained she planned on making the “greatest fighter pilot movie ever made.”
If you just can’t wait to get back to a galaxy far, far, away, then check out our guide on The Mandalorian season 3.