Entertainment
Disney Already Canceled The Movie That Could Have Saved Star Wars
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
I spend a lot of time dunking on Star Wars. Accordingly, many people think I’m just a hater who loves to see this iconic franchise fail. In reality, the opposite is true: I have loved Star Wars for almost my entire life, and I’d love nothing more than to see it succeed. However, under Disney’s stewardship, the franchise has had quite a few critical and commercial missteps, so now I love Star Wars the same way you love the drunk uncle that slurs his way through Thanksgiving get-togethers. You know, the one who’s fun to talk to, but you’d secretly like him to put down the sauce and get his life together.
Your uncle is deeply unlikely to put himself together anytime soon, but it might not be too late for Star Wars. You see, Disney doesn’t need to reinvent the franchise from the ground up; instead, they just need to release one really great movie to remind audiences how great this franchise can be. Unfortunately, The Mandalorian and Grogu didn’t scratch that particular itch, and many fans decided they wanted something more from Star Wars than a spinoff of an outdated show. That’s why the House of Mouse needs to bring back the one canceled movie that can finally save this franchise: Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron.
Going Rogue
In The Empire Strikes Back, we learn that Luke Skywalker is the commander of Rogue Squadron. The exploits of these pilots (who are basically the best X-Wing pilots in the galaxy) and their new leader, Wedge Antilles, were recorded in some excellent Legends books by Michael Stackpole. In December 2020, Lucasfilm revealed that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins would be directing a Rogue Squadron movie. Eventually, Jenkins left the project because she wanted to focus on other films, and the project seemingly died, though Jenkins later revealed that she signed a new deal to write the script for this X-Wing movie. However, there have been no real updates since then.
Given its name and its post-The Rise of Skywalker setting (something Jenkins’ film was supposed to have), most fans assume that Disney dropped Rogue Squadron in favor of Star Wars: Starfighter. However, it’s unclear how well Starfighter will go over with audiences because its rumored plot (about a grizzled pilot escorting a Force-sensitive child through dangerous space) is so similar to The Mandalorian and Grogu, a movie that is (by Star Wars standards) flailing at the box office. Fortunately, it’s not too late for this franchise to get back its former glory. All Disney has to do is bring Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron film (which now has a completed script) to life.
You’re All Clear, Kid
Why am I convinced that Rogue Squadron would be a hit Star Wars film for Disney? While its exact plot details have been kept secret, it’s clear that in commissioning a movie about starfighter pilots, Disney wanted to have their own Top Gun in space. As it turns out, that was a fairly good instinct. When Tom Cruise returned for the belated sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, it earned over $1.5 billion, which is why Top Gun 3 is now in development. As it turns out, general audiences love the combination of sexy pilots and cool dogfights, and Rogue Squadron would be an easy way for Disney to get a piece of the action.
If done well, a Rogue Squadron movie would also help channel what originally made The Mandalorian so cool. Remember how hyped everyone was for that show when it first came out? A big part of the show’s early appeal is that it was free of Jedi and Sith drama and generally untethered from the various Star Wars trilogies. Eventually, it got bogged down with connections to other franchise shows and films, and the hype for Baby Yoda died, which is part of why The Mandalorian and Grogu fizzled at the box office. But a Rogue Squadron movie could deliver what The Mandalorian used to have: entirely new characters and adventures set in a galaxy far, far away.
Stay On Target
Finally, Rogue Squadron would be the perfect way to bring the franchise back to its roots. If you ask people what their favorite part of the first Star Wars movie is, it’s a safe bet they’ll say the attack on the Death Star. Pilots saving the galaxy through death-defying maneuvers is, quite frankly, what made the entire world fall in love with A New Hope, and one of the only weaknesses of that film is that we hardly knew any of the pilots. Rogue Squadron could finally shine a spotlight on these lesser-known heroes of the rebellion while giving us more of the coolest dogfights in the galaxy.
Unless the Force is with us, it’s unlikely that Rogue Squadron will see the light of day, and it might go down as the only Star Wars movie that got canceled twice. But the script is written, and Patty Jenkins still seems enthusiastic about directing it. All Disney has to do is give the green light to the most exciting franchise film idea of the last decade. If they wait until Starfighter bombs, though, they might have to send the director a personalized holographic message: “Help me, Patty Jenkins, you’re my only hope!”