There were lots of big announcements at the Star Wars Celebration in London this past weekend, like James Mangold‘s “Dawn Of The Jedi“ and Daisy Ridley‘s return as Rey in a future film. But what about long-rumored projects like Marvel head Kevin Feige‘s “Star Wars” project or Petty Jenkins‘ “Rogue Squadron” movie?
Lucasfilm‘s Kathleen Kennedy had scoop on both projects in an interview with IGN from the Celebration. And according to the studio ahead, only one of those projects was ever really a “project.” When asked if Feige and Jenkin’s ideas are no longer in development, Kennedy replies, “Well, they haven’t been shelved. Most things haven’t been shelved. Development is a complicated long-term process. [With] some people, we’re dealing with scheduling, because obviously really talented people are working. So, it’s often not a shelving, it’s just, ‘is it ready?’ That’s really what it comes down to.”
So, will Feige’s project ever be ready? Kennedy said the truth is Feige and Lucasfilm never talked about a future project in the first place. “Well, Kevin Feige’s project was something announced in the press or, I suppose, fandom, but nothing ever got developed,” Kennedy continued. “We never discussed an idea. As everyone knows, Kevin is a huge “Star Wars” fan, and if he did come up with something, I would be all ears, but that’s never really happened. So, it’s not really an abandoned project: it just didn’t happen.”
But Puck offers a different story to the Feige “Star Wars” situation. According to them, Feige’s project is hardly something merely announced “to the press,” but an idea Kennedy as known about for a long time and gets frequent updates about. What’s more, Kennedy’s ex-boss and Disney Film Group head Alan Horn first broke the news about the project in 2019. Puck speculates that Kennedy’s comment reflect a internal rivalry between her and Feige at Disney, with Feige’s eight Marvel movies since 2019’s “The Rise Of Skywalker” (and their $6 billion total box office gross) a source of envy for Kennedy. There hasn’t been a new “Star Wars” film since that one, so Kennedy must feel like her franchise lags far behind the MCU.
As for Jenkins’ “Rogue Squadron,” Kennedy confirmed that Lucasfilm is still interested in that project, but it may end up a Disney+ series instead of a feature film. “”Rogue Squadron,” that is definitely something that we still talk about,” she said. “Whether it’s a movie or it ends up in the series space, that’s definitely something.” Lucasfilm first announced Jenkins’ film at a Disney Investor Day in 2020, but since then, it’s languished in development. But those delays are likely due to all of the other projects Lucasfilm has developed in the meantime as they chart their franchise’s course post-“The Rise Of Skywalker.”
So, rest easy, Patty Jenkins fans: “Wonder Woman 3” may not be a thing anymore, but “Rogue Squadron” still is. And as for Feige’s “Star Wars” project, maybe that comes down to a lesson of “don’t believe everything you read.” Besides, Feige has his hands full with future MCU phases anyway.
