It's something of a golden age for Star Wars fans: thanks to Disney's deep pockets and Disney+'s global ambition, all kinds of Star Wars shows and movies have been greenlit. Unfortunately not all of them make it into production, and it seems that one much-anticipated film in particular is no longer happening.
The film is Rogue Squadron, which was teased in Disney's 2020 investor day and which would have had Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins at the helm.
Since then it appeared to have become less of a priority, disappearing from the release schedule and now finally being cancelled altogether. According to Variety, Rogue Squadron is no longer in development. That means we're unlikely to see anything other than this teaser trailer. And that's a shame, because Jenkins is clearly a super-fan who wanted to make the ultimate Star Wars action movie.
What happened to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron?
Disney's undergoing a massive cost-cutting exercise in order to trim its costs by $5.5 billion, and $3 billion of that is to come from "content savings" excluding sports: in other words, TV shows and movies. Returning CEO Bob Iger is making swingeing cuts throughout the Disney empire, and told investors that "we will take a very hard look at the cost of everything we make across television and film".
Rogue Squadron isn't the only apparent casualty of The Empire Cuts Costs. Marvel president Kevin Feige's Star Wars movie is also no longer in development, although the Taika Waititi and Sharpen Obaid-Chinoy Star Wars films are apparently still being developed.
Hopefully we'll hear some good Star Wars news from Disney in the coming weeks. Its Star Wars Celebration takes place in London on 7-10 April, and while that's primarily a fan gathering it's also a great opportunity to get people excited about forthcoming releases.
