IGN announced great news for Star Wars fans this week. Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins landed the directing gig for the future feature film Rogue Squadron, based on the name of the video game of the same name. This announcement was merely one of many made by Disney during Thursday’s Investor conference, but it generated the most buzz.
Slated for Christmas of 2023, Lucasfilm and Jenkins collaborated on an exciting announcement teaser trailer as seen below.
With this announcement, Patty Jenkins became the first woman director of a Star Wars feature film. Disney is not shy about embracing women in the Star Wars universe, either. Deborah Chow directed an episode of The Mandalorian in season one and is now at the helm of Obi-Wan Kenobi, an upcoming Disney+ show.
Jenkins is a trailblazer in Hollywood. Wonder Woman established her as the first female director of a major superhero film with a big budget (over $100 million). That film went on to gross over $820 million worldwide. Wow.
What is Rogue Squadron Based On?
The newly announced feature film will follow a squadron of X-Wing fighter pilots initially featured in a popular Nintendo 64 video game. It will serve the purpose of moving past the Skywalker saga on the big screen, opening the door for a more diverse storyline. However, IGN recently announced the movie will not use the game as source material.
Rogue Squadron Video Game Origin
According to Star Wars canon, Wedge Antilles founded and led The Rogue Squadron. Does that name sound familiar? Well, it should. Antilles appeared in all three films of the original trilogy. He was a skilled, young rebel pilot from the planet Corellia. He participated in and survived the attack on the first Death Star to become a respected veteran of Rogue Squadron. Next, he appeared in The Empire Strikes Back when he piloted a snowspeeder in the defense of Echo Base on Hoth. In his last appearance in a Star Wars feature film, Antilles led Red Squadron in the attack on the second Death Star above Endor.
You Can Still Play the Video Game
If you have a hankering for some Rogue Squadron action before 2023, you can still get your hands on STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron 3D, available on Steam, Origin, and gog.com. Check out the official game description below.
It is a time of great rejoicing in the galaxy. Luke Skywalker, with the help of Wedge Antilles, has blown up the Death Star. But there is little time to celebrate. The mighty Empire is gathering strength for a determined, all-out assault on the Rebel forces.
To save the Rebel Alliance from this Imperial onslaught, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles have assembled the Rogue Squadron, a group of twelve of the most skilled battle-tested starfighter pilots. You will fly into battle as Luke Skywalker, to engage in intense, fast-paced planetary air-to-ground and air-to-air missions ‒ dogfights, search and destroy, reconnaissance, bombing runs, rescue assignments, and more.
Take on the Galactic Empire in X-wings, Y-wings, A-wings, V-wings, and snowspeeders. Prove you’ve got what it takes against a slew of the Empire’s best and baddest, including AT-AT walkers, AT-STs, TIE fighters and more. Test your flying skill through extraordinary environments ‒ over water, through canyons, deserts, and volcanic regions. Astonishing 3D details include real time lighting and special effects (explosions, smoke, engine glow, tracer fire and more).
Disney’s 10-Year Plan for Star Wars
Rogue Squadron is one of many announcements made by the media conglomerate. For a full list of series announced during the Investor conference, see below.
- Star Wars: Rangers of The New Republic – a Disney+ series based on The Mandalorian‘s Cara Dune
- Star Wars: Ahsoka – a Disney+ series based on Clone Wars and The Mandalorian‘s Ahsoka
- Star Wars: Andor – a Disney+ series based on Rogue One‘s Cassian Andor
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi – a Disney+ series based on Star Wars: Episode I-III Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Star Wars: Visions – a Disney+ anthology series showcasing short animated films
- Star Wars: Lando – a Disney+ series unknown whether it’ll be based on Donald Glover’s or Billy Dee Williams version of Lando Calrissian.
- Star Wars: Acolyte – a Disney+ series set in the High Republic era, approximately 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: A Droid Story – a Disney+ series that follows two famous Star Wars droids, C3PO and R2D2.
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch – a Disney+ animated series centering on a group of defected Clone Troopers whose mutations give them abilities beyond that of their fellow clones.
