Patty Jenkins Will Become The First Woman To Helm A Star Wars film ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’

The December 10th call for Disney's investors gave Star Wars fans plenty of content to get excited for: among their slew of announcements was that Director Patty Jenkins, who helmed the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman (2017) and its recent sequel Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), will be directing an upcoming film titled Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

The DCEU veteran was brought on after Game of Thrones duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had left a project, leading many to speculate that they were originally the director team behind Rogue Squadron. The film has not entered production, and any writer attached to the project is currently unknown, but the story treatment for the movie is currently a work in progress. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron currently has a theatrical release date of Christmas 2023.

First introduced in 1980's Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Wedge Antilles' Rogue Squadron found Han and Luke on Hoth and its own way into Star Wars history. Appearing again (but for the first time in-universe), Rogue One's titular ship crew mounted the attack on Scarif that led to the rebels gaining the plans to the first Death Star. In the modern Marvel Comics, Luke Skywalker names Rogue Squadron in honor of Rogue One sometime between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth. Now their legacy is continued with the new movie, but to what extent the old Rogue Squadron defines the new one is still a mystery.

Fans of the now-defunct Star Wars Legends canon (or Expanded Universe) will remember that the Rogue Squadron franchise was an extensive part of the history. Video games, comics, and novels followed Wedge Antilles' ragtag group of pilots through the Star Wars galaxy in their fight against what remained of the Empire. Corran Horn, one of the main protagonists of the series, currently has a Wookieepedia page the size of a novella due to his many appearances throughout literal and literary decades of Star Wars history. The video game is well-liked amongst fans and remembered well. That being said, it looks like those who are fans might be better prepared to scarf down a bunch of Easter eggs and winking references that Lucasfilm has programmed us to expect thanks to their films of the past five years, because it is unlikely that we will be getting an adaptation utilizing all of the exact same characters as before. The official description talks about "introduc[ing] a new generation of starfighter pilots," which could mean new to the canon, but probably means new pilots altogether (with Wedge probably at least making a cameo). The official description is below.

"The next Star Wars feature film will be Rogue Squadron — directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman franchise). The story 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. Lock S-foils in attack position: Rogue Squadron arrives in theaters Christmas 2023."

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Written By Trey Atwood

Syndicated From Culture Slate