Patty Jenkins Reveals Her Inspiration for ‘Rogue Squadron’

Patty Jenkins has a film coming out on Christmas Day (though it’s debuting in both theaters and on HBO Max). She also has another high-profile project lined up as part of another major franchise.

This one’s personal for Jenkins, as it ties into a major theme from her life growing up. Let’s take a closer look at Jenkins’ career, the future plans of one studio for one of their biggest franchises, and why Jenkins was inspired to join Star Wars on one project in particular. 

Patty Jenkins resume as a filmmaker

Jenkins has had quite an interesting career. She had a long gap between big-screen successes as a director, but that doesn’t make her output any less impressive.

According to IMDb, Jenkins directed the 2003 film Monster. The story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos saw Charlize Theron win a Best Actress Oscar. Jenkins mainly directed TV shows following this, though when she did return to the cinematic director’s chair, she made her comeback in a big way. 

In 2017, Jenkins directed Wonder Woman. It was the first superhero film headlined (and directed) solely by a woman. The movie was a major success. It made a ton of money at the box office. Critics and fans alike applauded it, loving its likable hero and compelling story.

Jenkins also directed the follow up, this year’s Wonder Woman 1984. That film has yet to be released due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s likely to also be a hit with fans. 

Disney’s future plans for Star Wars

While Jenkins’ biggest success came for Warner Brothers, that’s not the only major studio interested in her services. Disney was as well. Recently, Disney announced a number of new movies and shows it was launching as part of the Star Wars universe. This included two spinoffs from The Mandalorian, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and several other projects. 

It was an ambitious announcement for Disney, and it got fans excited. But announcing a bunch of new titles is one thing. Actually executing them is another. To create great new entries in the Star Wars universe, Disney would need talented filmmakers to bring these stories to life. That’s why they recruited Jenkins for one of their most prominent new properties. 

Patty Jenkins’ inspiration for ‘Rogue Squadron’

In a video on Twitter, Jenkins talked about how she was the daughter of a fighter pilot. Tragically, her father died while on a mission. Jenkins continually looked for a story that featured pilots or fighter jets of some kind as a way to honor her father.

Try as she might, she couldn’t find the right project. In the video, Jenkins says she finally found the film that would unite two great loves of hers. She then puts on an X-wing pilot helmet and an orange jumpsuit before walking toward an X-wing fighter jet. The message was clear: Jenkins was joining the Star Wars universe. 

This will be the next Star Wars film onscreen after last year’s The Rise of Skywalker. That’s a big deal. While the Skywalker saga sequels made a lot of money, fans gave them mixed reactions. Disney needs a strong return to form at the box office to prove Star Wars is still the bankable franchise it has always proven to be. 

It’s clear that Jenkins is the right director for this job. She grew up around jets and has a love and respect for flight infused in her by her father. Now, she’ll come to a franchise that feeds off aerial combat.

While the Jedi, Sith, and lightsabers are a major part of Star Wars, so are the dog fights in space. With Rogue Squadron, Jenkins will have an opportunity to combine Star Wars with the fighter jets she grew to love so much in her youth.