We haven't had any updates on the Disney+ Rocketeer reboot, tentatively titled The Return of the Rocketeer, since the project was first announced back in 2021, and many had assumed that the long-gestating "requel" had simply been lost in the shuffle.
However, The Wrap (via SFFGazette.com) has now confirmed that the movie is moving forward Sylvie’s Love filmmaker Eugene Ashe joining the production as a new writer. Whether Ashe will go back to the drawing board with an entirely new take or simply touch up the existing script is unclear.
David and Jessica Oyelowo are set to produce under their Yoruba Saxon banner as part of their two-year first-look deal with Disney, and, as far as we know, the former is still set to play the lead role.
We first heard about Disney's plans to reboot The Rocketeer all the way back in 2016 when a sequel to Joe Johnston's original was announced with a Black female lead taking over the Rocketeer mantle from Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell). That obviously never came to pass, and the idea was rejigged several times over the years.
Now You See Me and Jessica Jones writer Ed Ricourt penned the previous version of this latest Rocketeer movie's script, and if the story remains the same after a re-write, it will focus on "a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle."
Johnston's 1991 film was an adaptation of Dave Stevens’ graphic novel, and focused on a young pilot who stumbles across a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a rocket-propelled hero. It was a modest hit, and despite not being particularly well-received by critics at the time, it has since gone on to achieve cult status.
The character was (briefly) brought back for an animated preschool series, also called The Rocketeer, which saw Campbell return as Dave Secord, although he did also voice Cliff in the first episode (appearing in old newsreel footage). The show was cancelled after a single season, but all episodes are available to stream on Disney+.
"Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) is a cocky stunt pilot in love with a beautiful actress, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly). When he discovers a jet pack hidden in a biplane, Cliff straps on the rocket, dons a flashy helmet and becomes the high-flying hero known as The Rocketeer. But when Nazis want to use the rocket as a weapon, Cliff must use his alter ego to both protect Jenny from an evil actor (Timothy Dalton) and save the day in this period adventure based on the comic books by Dave Stevens."