Report: The ‘Rogue Squadron’ Script From Patty Jenkins and Matthew Robinson Had Issues
A new report indicates that the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron script treatment from director Patty Jenkins was not up to the standard that Lucasfilm was reaching for, leading to the project being shelved for the time being.
Off the heels of the surprising decision from Warner Brothers to not make the third Wonder Woman movie with writer-director Patty Jenkins, a new report from Jeff Sneider has indicated that Rogue Squadron similarly faced story issues in pre-production before he project had a chance to take flight. While talking on John Rocha’s The Hot Mic, Sneider indicated there were issues with the script from Jenkins and Matthew Robinson, while also implying there were rumors that Jenkins was difficult to work with:
“Here’s the thing… I’ve heard some things about Patty Jenkins. I’ve heard she’s a nightmare. I’m sorry, I hate to be the guy who’s calling a woman a name, I get it, oh my God! But listen, I’ve said that about countless male directors, too… I’ve heard that everything that she turned in with Wonder Woman 3 was like, y’know, a mess. I heard [that Star Wars: Rogue Squadron] was a mess. Like, what do you want from me? … I don’t know what you want me to say! That’s what I’ve heard.”
It should be noted that the script in question was apparently rushed to fit a deadline for a movie that could be released at the end of 2023 — which might explain the quality issues on the story of the project as it existed at that time. However, a report from The Wrap indicates that Jenkins got defensive when the new heads of Warner Brothers had criticisms of her story for the Wonder Woman 3 treatment and asked her to make adjustments to it, supporting Sneider’s claims that Jenkins may have a my-way-or-the-highway approach to her movies. You can view Sneider’s comments below (relevant part timestamped at 24:27):
Initially announced as part of the Disney Investor Day presentation on December 10, 2020, Rogue Squadron was revealed to the world as the first Star Wars film that Lucasfilm was set to work on following their film production hiatus after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Patty Jenkins recorded a video announcement confirming her status as the director on the film, with news that Matthew Robinson was helping her write a script so it could make a December 22, 2023, release date. Things seemed to proceed as normal until November 8, 2021, when it was revealed that the movie’s intended production start had been indefinitely delayed. A month later, it was indicated that Jenkins stepped down as the director for a new Cleopatra film (which she would still produce) in order to focus her priorities on Wonder Woman 3 and Rogue Squadron, indicating that there may have been life in the project still. However, the film was formally pulled from Disney’s theatrical release schedule on September 15, 2022, with no word on whether or not the film is officially cancelled or if the project will be redeveloped one day.
The last official word from Kathleen Kennedy earlier this year was that the film was “pushed off to the side for a moment” in the days leading up to Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, with Kennedy noting that Patty Jenkins was still working on the script at the time of the interview. As it stands, it is not clear what the fate of Rogue Squadron is after Jenkins’s pitch for Wonder Woman 3 was rejected; it’s been stated that she opted to leave the project rather than work with DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran on a new take that might better suit the future of the DC franchise, with Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot still attached to the film and set to make cameo appearances in a few other DC Studios-produced projects that have already been filmed. As for what that means for Star Wars, it could be possible that Jenkins returns to Rogue Squadron now that Wonder Woman 3 is no longer on the table. It may also be possible that Jenkins no longer has interest in making her Star Wars movie, or that Lucasfilm and Jenkins ran into creative differences on the project, and that someone else may take the reins on it instead.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
