Yahoo Movies Patty Jenkins on Her 'Groundbreaking Position' as Star Wars Director: 'Huge Amount of Pressure'
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Patty Jenkins doesn't mind the pressure of being the first female director to take on a Star Wars movie.
Jenkins is set to break that glass ceiling when she directs the upcoming Rogue Squadron, a spinoff in the franchise that was announced last week. After becoming the first woman to direct a major superhero movie with 2017's Wonder Woman, Jenkins told Yahoo she's ready for the added pressure of a Star Wars film.
“I feel a huge amount of pressure to make a great Star Wars film, of course. The fan base is amazing and massive and that’s no small task. That’s really what I think about,” Jenkins said while promoting Wonder Woman 1984, which hits theaters and HBO Max on Christmas Day.
“If I can be in a groundbreaking position to pave the way for other people, that’s amazing. I hope that I get to do that,” she continued. “But luckily [Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984] were not no pressure, either. So I’ve gotten pretty used to the fact that there’s really nothing you can do about it. You just have to try to make a great film and really be diligent about keeping your eye on the ball and always making sure you’re thinking about everything. So I will carry forward and try to make a great movie.”
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 10, 2020
In a video announcing her sweet new gig, Jenkins explained why this particular movie is so personal to her. Shared on Twitter, the clip showed Jenkins roller skating over to a car and talking to the camera as she put on a fighter pilot helmet just like the ones used by the flight squad in the space franchise.
Sharing that she loves "to move fast and speed of any kind," Jenkins explained that she "grew up the daughter of a great fighter pilot."
"Every day I would wake up and go outside and look up and see my father and his squadron taking off in their F4's, roaring across the sky. It was the most thrilling thing still I've experienced in my entire life," the history-making director continued. "So when he lost his life in service to this country, it ignited a desire in me to turn all of that tragedy and thrill into one day making the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time."
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Then, detailing that as much as she tried, she "couldn't find the right story, ever," and "kept looking and looking."
She added: "But I just couldn't find the right one. Until now."
Then, putting on the helmet, Jenkins suited up in an accompanying orange jumpsuit as she walked towards a CGI flyer jet, ready for her next directing adventure.
