It’s being reported that Lucasfilm’s Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron was cancelled because of Patty Jenkins, and the report in question claims the director was something of a ‘nightmare’ to work with. This report comes to us via The Hot Mic, and I have to say that things are starting to add up now when it comes to Jenkins and some of her previously canned projects.
Patty Jenkins was supposed to direct this new Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm, and it was going to be called Rogue Squadron. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced the project at 2020’s Disney’s Investor’s Presentation day, and I have to say that I, and many other Star Wars fans, were buzzing about this project. It was going to focus on pilots in the Star Wars galaxy, and I loved that idea.
Rogue Squadron cancelled because of Patty Jenkins
Credit: LucasArts
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Patty Jenkins even made a video for the presentation, in which she was in a Star Wars pilot’s outfit on a runway, and she was talking about how Rogue Squadron was the project she had been waiting for all her life. She talked about her dad being a pilot and how she always wanted to make a movie about figure pilots. It sounded like a match made in heaven. However, according to The Hot Mic’s Jeff Sneider, it all turned out to be a nightmare for Lucasfilm.
Snider explained: “I’ve heard some things about Patty Jenkins. I’ve heard she’s a nightmare.” He continued:
I’m sorry, I hate to be the guy who’s calling a woman a name, I get it, oh my God! But listen, I’ve said that about countless male directors, too. I’ve heard that everything that she turned in with Wonder Woman 3 was like, you know, a mess. I heard [that Star Wars: Rogue Squadron] was a mess.
Wonder Woman 3 was reportedly cancelled because of Jenkins being difficult to work with
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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This comes after it was revealed that Jenkins’ next movie, which was going to be the third Wonder Woman movie, had also been cancelled. This time it was Warner Bros and DC Studios pulling the plug on one of Jenkins’ projects. After that news was announced, there were rumours that the director had written a script for the movie and that Warner Bros executives weren’t overly pleased with what she had come up with and sent her notes on how to improve the script.
She then reportedly sent them a link to a Wikipedia page on the definition of ‘character arc’. This was reported by The Wrap, and I have to say that it does sound as though Jenkins doesn’t play nice with others. You might not remember, but this was not the first time that Jenkins had walked off a pretty big superhero project. The filmmaker had been hired to direct Thor: The Dark World for Marvel Studios.
A lot of directors leave projects due to ‘creative differences’
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She ended up leaving the project due to “creative differences”, which is a line that comes up a lot between Marvel Studios and directors. The likes of Edgar Wright and Scott Derrickson have both left Marvel projects due to “creative differences” with Marvel Studios. Patty Jenkins, however, was the first director ever to do that to Marvel, and I did put it down to Marvel being a tough studio to work with. However, now I wonder whether the issue is with Jenkins or not with the studios. She’s now had run-ins with three of Hollywood’s biggest studios: Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and now Warner Bros. Pictures.
At some point, I think that Patty has to take a hard look at herself and wonder whether she is the problem. I know that sounds harsh, but this is a pattern that cannot be overlooked or ignored.
What do you make of this news? Are you sad to learn that Patty Jenkins might have been the reason why Rogue Squadron was cancelled by Lucasfilm? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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If she was trying to explain to them the concept of a character arc then she should be defended at all costs. Disney and WB have been releasing flop after flop. These people meddle far too much with creative visions to be calling directors and other true visionaries hard to work with.