Disney made dozens of film and television announcements during its Investor Day 2020 presentation Thursday. One announcement in particular stood out to video game fans, though.Star Wars: Rogue Squadronwill be the next majorStar Warsfilm, set to be released holiday 2023.Rogue Squadronis one of the most popularStar Warsgame series, but since the announcement it has been confirmed that the film will not be an adaptation.
Wonder Woman 1984director Patty Jenkins, confirmed to bedirectingStar Wars: Rogue Squadron, clarified the issue in a recent interview with IGN. Jenkins said the film she’s making will be an original story. That said, she does say it will be done with “great influence” both from theRogue Squadronvideo games and books.Rogue Squadronfans will just have to wait and see how much it pulls.
RELATED:Star Wars Ahsoka Series Starring Rosario Dawson Coming to Disney Plus
Rogue Squadron’s origin stems not from the films, but from a comic book series written by Michael Stackpole. Stackpole took inspiration from theStar Warsfilms, specificallyEpisode 4and5, and a trio of books named the Thrawn trilogy to createX-Wing: Rogue Squadron. By the time thegameStar Wars: Rogue Squadronreleased in 1998, Stackpole had written 35 issues of theStar Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadroncomic book series, as well as six related novels from a 10-book series.
It was theStar Wars: Rogue Squadronvideo game that really took the name to another level, however. Launching in December 1998, it sold as the second most-popular game of the holiday season, according to IGN. In the arcade flight shooter, players take on the role of members ofRogue Squadron, a team of the Rebel Alliance’s best X-wing pilots. The story spans the timeline from beforeEmpire Strikes Backthrough the end ofReturn of the Jedi.
Suffice to say, there is a robust history ofRogue Squadronstory forDisneyand Patty Jenkins to pull from. Fans know that she won’t be pulling extensively from that lore, and that theRogue Squadronwill be an original film. That’s not surprising, asEpisode 7through9were entirely original, too, despite having a selection of great stories set afterEpisode 6to pull from.
Still, even if theRogue Squadronfilm is an original storyand unrelated to either the game or Stackpole’s writing, there’s still a very concise idea of whatRogue Squadronis. Further, of whoRogue Squadronincludes. Once trailers are released, fans will know if this is theRogue Squadronthey’ve always loved, or if the new film is a radical deviation from the classic series.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadronis scheduled to release in theaters holiday 2023.
