Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has reportedly spoken with Michael Stackpole, author of the X-Wing series of Star Wars novels, regarding her upcoming movie Rogue Squadron. X-Wing: Rogue Squadron was first published in 1996.
Twitter user Jedi4Liberty posted a photo of himself meeting Stackpole at Galaxy Con in Richmond. He says that Stackpole told him that “he was highly excited about the upcoming Rogue Squadron movie and assured me Patty Jenkins had been in contact with him early on.” Rogue Squadron has been subject to significant delays, some of which are surely pandemic-related, but there has also been a history of directors leaving Star Wars projects over creative differences. It is currently still set for release in 2023, but hasn’t started filming yet, meaning that they are cutting it fine.
“That’s not unusual, of course, but it’s a laughably recurring problem at Lucasfilm under president Kathleen Kennedy, say agents: Top filmmakers are dying to make a Star Wars movie—until they sign on and experience the micromanagement and plot-point-by-committee process,” Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni said in November 2021.
Belloni added, “It happened to the Game of Thrones guys, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who were hired to create a new trilogy but bailed. It also happened to Rian Johnson, writer and director of 2017’s The Last Jedi, whose own planned trilogy was shelved. Jenkins wasn’t willing to dick around, and she has other projects, notably Wonder Woman 3 at Warner Bros., where she enjoys more creative freedom.”
At the moment, Jenkins is still attached to Rogue Squadron, but if filming doesn’t get underway soon, its release date will surely be pushed again. Star Wars fans are seeing it as an encouraging sign that Stackpole has been approached regarding the film, as the book series are amongst the favourites of the Star Wars canon.
While we wait for more news on Rogue Squadron, check out our guides to the best Star Wars characters and the best Star Wars movies.