#What’s Next for Patty Jenkins?

Patty Jenkins has quickly become one of the busiest and most in-demand directors in Hollywood. She is now set to direct Wonder Woman 3, after successfully helming both previous entries in the DC franchise, as well as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for Lucasfilm. But with both movies set as major priorities for the respective studios, it is worth looking at which project will come first. Especially since Warner Bros. has put Gal Gadot’s next adventure as Wonder Woman on the fast track.

Starting with Wonder Woman 3, Warner Bros. wasted no time in locking down Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot for a third movie. The announcement was made just as Wonder Woman 1984 wrapped up its opening weekend at the box office, in addition to arriving on HBO Max in the U.S. The sequel performed well financially, relative to 2020 standards, even if it has proved to be divisive critically. Reports have noted that the studio has “fast-tracked development” of the sequel. That would seem to imply that they hope to have it filming sooner rather than later. But the development process can often be a lengthy one. And a galaxy far, far away is likely to take precedent in the immediate future.
RELATED: Rogue Squadron Director Feels a Huge Amount of Pressure, But Promises to Make Something Great
Lucasfilm made a surprise announcement during its investor day presentation that Patty Jenkins has been tapped to make the next Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron. The big difference here is that Disney has already set a release date for the movie. It is currently set to arrive on December 22, 2023. Plot details are largely being kept under wraps but it will be inspired by the video games and novels that were part of the old canon, now known as Legends tales. Though it will not directly adapt any of these stories.

A recent piece for the New York Times mentioned that Rogue Squadron is expected to be Patty Jenkins’ next project. Plus, there does not seem to be enough time to squeeze in a movie as big as Wonder Woman 3 before filming a Star Wars movie while also hitting that December 2023 release date. With that in mind, all current evidence points to Rogue Squadron happening before Wonder Woman 3. A lot could change between now and then but, as the situation exists, that’s where things stand.

That could mean a rather large gap between sequels when it comes to Wonder Woman. At best, it would probably mean a late 2024 release date for the officially announced Wonder Woman 3, given the December 2023 date Rogue Squadron currently occupies. That would mean a full four years would pass between Wonder Woman 1984 and the planned follow-up. That is quite a bit of time when it comes to major superhero franchises.

It is worth noting that DC has a full slate coming down the pipeline over the next few years. The Suicide Squad, The Batman, The Flash, Aquaman 2, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Shazam 2, Black Adam, Batgirl, Static Shock and more are in various stages of development. With that in mind, Warner Bros. may not even have room for Wonder Woman 3 until 2024. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further updates are made available. In the meantime, Wonder Woman 1984 is available now via HBO Max streaming app.

Topics: Rogue Squadron, Star Wars, Wonder Woman 3, Wonder Woman