It's one of the most anticipated new Star Wars projects, but now it seems that Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron will be delayed. The movie was first announced during Disney's investors' day in December of 2020 with a stunning trailer where Jenkins explained why she was excited to take on the Rogue Squadron movie.

Patty Jenkins and writer Matthew Robinson have been developing Rogue Squadron for Lucasfilm for over a year, with the goal of starting production in 2022. It was to have gone into preproduction by the end of this year. But the producers and filmmaking team have come to the realization that Jenkins's schedule and other commitments would preclude her from being able to helm the movie during that production window. As a result, Rogue Squadron has been, at least temporarily, taken off the production schedule.

It isn't clear which commitments are keeping Patty Jenkins from being able to work on Rogue Squadron. She is committed to working on the third Wonder Woman movie for Warner Brothers. She also has a commitment for a Cleopatra feature for Paramount. Reportedly, Wonder Woman 3 was supposed to follow Rogue Squadron in Jenkins' production schedule, but with the Lucasfilm production currently off the schedule, that could change.

Rogue Squadron was supposed to be the first motion picture release since The Rise of Skywalker, and currently has a release date of December 22, 2023. Despite being taken off the production schedule, Rogue Squadron is still listed with that release date. Obviously, things can still shift as plans change.

Currently, it is unclear if Lucasfilm has another Star Wars production that can take the place of Rogue Squadron should Jenkins not be able to get the movie completed in time for that release date. There are Star Wars movies currently in development by Taika Waititi and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige among others, however, it isn't clear yet how far along production is on any of those projects or if any of them would be ready in time.

While the motion picture side of Lucasfilm is currently unclear, their TV side is doing quite well with The Mandalorian leading a series of successful shows on Disney+, Although the shows have not been without controversy, they have reignited interest in the Star Wars properties. After the divisive sequel trilogy, The Mandalorian brought excitement back to Star Wars, and, with the end of Season 2, redeemed the character of Luke Skywalker in many fans' eyes.

Still, Star Wars is best seen on the big screen, and news that the next big screen adventure is being delayed is distressing especially after the disappointments of the past three movies. The announcement of Rogue Squadron had been met with a great deal of excitement. Little is still known about the project, but the Rogue Squadron books were beloved by fans and the hope was that Jenkins would draw from those stories, at least in style.

Still, the passion Jenkins felt for the movie was palpable. Hopefully, she can get her schedule cleared up so that production can begin on Rogue Squadron in 2022 as planned.

In the meantime, Star Wars returns to Disney+ in December in the form of The Book of Boba Fett. This news originated at The Hollywood Reporter.