‘Rogue Squadron’: Patty Jenkins Says Film Won’t Be An Adaptation

We had this discussion, well, a brief argument, during yesterday’s Cinema Royale podcast. What was the biggest news to come out of Disney’s tidal wave of announcements last week? I think it’s pretty clear the shocker of shocker was Patty Jenkins directing a Rogue Squadron movie. Not only because she’s the amazing filmmaker behind both Wonder Woman movies, or because she’s the first woman to direct a Star Wars feature, but because this was the first concrete news we’d heard from Lucasfilm about the big screen in ages.

So the question then is, “What is Rogue Squadron going to be”? Is it an adaptation of the popular video games and novels?  IGN had a chance to ask Jenkins that very question, and she says her film will be something different.

Jenkins said, “[In the ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’ movie] we’re doing something original with great influence from the games and the books. There’s a lot of things being acknowledged and understood about the greatness of all of those things, but yes, it’s an original story and I’m so psyched to do it.”

I think this is the best idea. Personally, I don’t want to see adaptations from the expanded universe. Leave that stuff where it is, in the pre-canon era. But taking elements from those stories and refashioning them, sorta like what Dave Filoni is doing with a character such as Thrawn, is a cool way to make sure nothing goes to waste while creating something new.

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.