Rumors emerged a few days ago that Rogue Squadron might be delayed, and it sounds like that is in fact the case. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit reported today that the film will be delayed due to scheduling conflicts.
The film, which was announced last year, was originally supposed to release on December 22, 2023, but it has been postponed – and THR gave no new release time frame, simply saying that it has been removed from the production schedule (which was supposed to start in 2022). The reason given, according to THR, is that director Patty Jenkins won’t be able to make it work to film next year. Jenkins is working on films like Wonder Woman 3 and Cleopatra, but THR noted that it’s unclear which projects are in the way of Rogue Squadron.
The rumors over the weekend gave a different reason for the delay, saying that more time is needed in order to get the script right (which is being written by Matthew Robinson), on top of the other projects Jenkins is working on. So it is entirely possible that the “official” reason for the delay is scheduling – which is certainly a very real issue – but that behind-the-scenes a significant factor is the script as well. And if the script delays production a bit, that probably leads to other scheduling conflicts for Jenkins.
Whatever the reason, it’s unfortunate news, as I’m really excited to see this take on Rogue Squadron and it’s never fun to hear about delays to projects. But if it’s for script reasons, I’m glad Lucasfilm is giving the film the time it needs to get it right (a luxury that hasn’t always been afforded), and if it’s scheduling reasons, that’s something that comes with the territory when getting a highly successful and in-demand director like Patty Jenkins.
With this film delayed, the question becomes what will occupy the release slot on December 22, 2023. Will there be a Star Wars movie that releases that day? I hope so! There are plenty of other movies in various stages of development, so one of them could be moved ahead in the production schedule. And the rumors over the weekend suggested that it might be a yet-unannounced Old Republic that takes its place, which would be cool! We’ll have to wait and see. I’m guessing we’ll know a lot more once Lucasfilm and Disney officially announce the delay for Rogue Squadron, as they’ll probably fill us in a bit on what they’re thinking for that release date.
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