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Fans have been clamoring for more Star Wars project ever since The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters in December 2019. The film closed out the “Skywalker Saga,” which includes the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and the sequel trilogy. But don’t worry, the Star Wars franchise is continuing with more films, starting with Rogue Squadron. The upcoming film was officially announced at Disney Investor Day 2020 with a teaser featuring the director, Patty Jenkins.
From the release date, to the cast and crew, we rounded up everything there is to know about Star Wars: Rogue Squadron below. Plus, learn about the other upcoming projects from Lucasfilm.
Release Date & Where to Watch
December 22, 2023 was originally announced as the release date for Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. The film’s production has been delayed due to Patty’s busy schedule, but no official change to the release date has been announced. That means we still may only have to wait until Christmas 2023 to see the movie! Patty even left her planned Cleopatra movie to focus on Rogue Squadron, as well as Wonder Woman 3. She’s clearly on a mission to get this movie out in time! Like all Star Wars films, Rogue Squadron will be released in theaters. We can count on the movie making some big bucks at the box office, too. Rogue Squadron will eventually be available to stream on Disney+, which is home to all Star Wars projects.
‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’ Plot
The official plot for Rogue Squadron was announced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy at Disney Investor Day 2020. “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,” the plot reads.
Starfighter pilots are featured in all of the Star Wars movie. They are crucial members of the Rebel Alliance, which forms following the events of 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. In fact, they help blow up the Death Star twice, first in 1977’s A New Hope, and then in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The starfighters that the Rebel Alliance pilots fly are called X-wings and Y-wings. There’s also villainous starfighters that fly TIE fighters and are part of The Empire.
It’s unclear when Rogue Squadron will take place in the Star Wars timeline. It’s possible the events are set after Revenge of the Sith, but before A New Hope. Or, the film could explore starfighters after the Rebel Alliance’s victory in Return of the Jedi, but before the First Order rises to power in 2015’s The Force Awakens. That time period is when the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian plays out. If the latter option ends up being the case, there’s a chance we could see Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the film. Rogue Squadron could be based on the video game series, which followed the Rogue Squadron unit in the Rebel Alliance fighting the Galactic Empire.
Cast & Crew
It’s been confirmed that Patty Jenkins is directing Rogue Squadron. She’s best know for helming 2017’s Wonder Woman and 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, which star Gal Gadot. “It’s been a lifelong dream as a filmmaker to one day make a great fighter pilot film,” Patty said in a statement after officially joining the film. “As the daughter of a great fighter pilot myself, some of the best memories of my life are of seeing my father’s squadron take off in their F4s every morning, and hearing and feeling the awe-inspiring power and grace. When he passed away in service to this country it ignited a burning desire to one day channel all of those emotions into one great film. When the perfect story arrived in combination with another true love of mine, the incomparable world of Star Wars, I knew I’d finally found my next film. I’m extremely honored and excited to take it on, and grateful to Lucasfilm, Disney, and the fans for extending that thrill to me.”
Matthew Robinson was hired to write the film in May 2021. Lucasfilm, which is owned by Disney, will obviously produced the film. No cast members have officially been announced. Rogue Squadron will probably welcome new faces into the Star Wars universe, just like The Force Awakens did with Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Old characters, such as Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, could also pop up in the film.
Production Details
Patty revealed in July 2021 that the script for Rogue Squadron was almost complete. “It’s going amazing. I had been on it already for six months before I even announced that, so we’re pretty deep into it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter about the film’s development. “We’re finishing a script, crewing up, and it’s all going wonderful. I’m so excited about the story and excited that we’re the next chapter of Star Wars, which is such a responsibility and such an opportunity to really start some new things. It’s really exciting in that way.” Patty also said that working on a Star Wars film is “an entirely different way of working” and that she’s “fairly free to do the story” that she wants. “But you really need to know who’s done what, who’s doing what, where it goes and how it works, and what designs have been done before,” she added. “It’s a whole other way of working that I’m getting up to speed on.”
Rogue Squadron has yet to begin filming. Production on the film has been delayed due to Patty’s schedule, as she’s also currently working on the third Wonder Woman movie. However, Rogue Squadron is still set for a December 2023 release date, exactly four years after The Rise of Skywalker came out.
Lucasfilm has confirmed more Star Wars projects coming out beyond Rogue Squadron. Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) is set to direct an upcoming film. Rian Johnson, writer/director of 2017’s The Last Jedi, is set to write and direct the first film in a new Star Wars trilogy. However, the project has been stalling due to Rian’s other commitments. There’s also two anthology films that are in development with release dates December 19, 2025 and December 17, 2027. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were supposed to write and produce a Star Wars trilogy, but they stepped away after securing a deal with Netflix.