Star Wars: Rogue Squadron officially has a screenwriter — the movie set to be directed by Patty Jenkins has tapped Matthew Robinson, per a report from THR. Rogue Squadron will be the first Star Wars movie premiering in theaters since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

Robinson first gained prominence when he co-wrote and co-directed 2009’s The Invention of Lying alongside Ricky Gervais. He has also worked on the screenplays for 2020’s Love and Monsters starring Dylan O’Brien, which he co-wrote with Brian Duffield, and Edge of Tomorrow sequel Live Die Repeat and Repeat, currently in development at Warner Bros. He has been attached as screenwriter to the revamped film version of Little Shop of Horrors since 2016, with Greg Berlanti directing the project.

It sounds as though Robinson may have been involved with the project as early as last December, when Collider had the chance to ask Jenkins about the identity of Rogue Squadron‘s screenwriter. Rather than reveal the information herself, the director said, “I want him to have his own proper announcement, so I’m going to wait until that comes out.”

Jenkins’ involvement as director was revealed around that same time on Disney’s investor day, one of many shared by Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, who also announced the upcoming The Mandalorian spinoff shows Ahsoka and Rangers of the New Republic (the latter of which has since been put on the backburner, development-wise) in addition to other Star Wars TV series Lando, Andor, The Acolyte, The Bad Batch, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. At the time, Jenkins posted a special video to her Twitter account, stating that her Rogue Squadron movie would have a deeply personal connection while also exploring the lives of a new group of Star Wars characters in an effort to make “the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time.”

The project is aiming to begin pre-production this fall and start filming in 2022. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is currently set for a December 22, 2023 release.

via Collider