Recently, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Disney and Lucasfilm are putting Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron movie on indefinite hold. The film had been on schedule to release on Dec. 22, 2023, which would have made it the first Star Wars theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker. According to reports, the film is being delayed because of conflicts in Jenkins’ schedule, but there might be a bit more to the story.
Alongside the Rogue Squadron news comes a rumor from Star Wars News Net that Disney would keep its Dec. 22 release date and simply insert another Star Wars project. More specifically, the new film is supposedly set in the Old Republic. Currently, there are only rumors on that front, but to put it bluntly, the reports of an Old Republic movie need to be true for the good of the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars is one the biggest franchises out there, covering all kinds of media: movies, comics, novels, action figures, etc. A few short years ago, people would have thought that anything that Star Wars released would be successful. However, The Last Jedi put an end to such euphoric assumptions. Although Rian Johnson’s film is a pretty good movie from a cinematic perspective, some fans still believe that it’s severely lacking in Star Wars tone and disrespects certain original characters. Effectively, the movie divided a fanbase that has traditionally been united.
J.J. Abrams tried to iron out some issues in The Rise of Skywalker, but the damage had been done. Fans who like The Last Jedi think Abrams worked too hard to retcon it, while fans who dislike The Last Jedi think Abrams didn’t go far enough. To be frank, the next Star Wars film comes at crossroads. It has the potential to unite the divided fanbase or continue the void.
The Star Wars saga is over; The Mandalorian timeline seems confined to Disney+ and the High Republic initiative has been met with mixed reviews. So, Disney has to decide what the cinematic future of Star Wars will hold, and given the divide in the fanbase, executives must sense that the 2023 release needs to be something big because it will set the tone for Star Wars going forward.
The thing is, an Old Republic movie would be the perfect answer, and reports to that effect aren’t all that farfetched. Rumors of Rogue Squadron’s delay came out and have since been confirmed. Rumors of the Old Republic replacement came out at the same time, from the same source, so it’s very possible that they will be confirmed in the coming weeks or months. On top of that, Lucasfilm is remastering and re-releasing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The timing may only be a coincidence, but if nothing else, it shows that Lucasfilm intends to repurpose the era.
Either way, Star Wars needs direction, and the Old Republic could provide that while uniting the fanbase once again. It’s one of the most successful and most loved eras in all of Star Wars Legends, and there are countless stories available for adaptation. Just to name a few possibilities: Exar Khun’s double-bladed lightsaber was legendary; Revan struggled between the light and the dark; Nihilus ate planets; Malgus sacked the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and Valkorian built a hidden Sith Empire.
These characters are some of the most beloved in all of Star Wars, and their stories deserve to be returned to canon. That’s the new direction that Star Wars needs to take with its cinematic releases, mostly because almost every Star Wars fan would be on board with the decision.
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