Considering how beloved 1991’s The Rocketeer continues to be, it’s pretty amazing it took 30 years for Disney to finally bring it back. That’s what’s happening now as a new Rocketeer film is in the works and it will be exclusive to Disney+.
According to Deadline, David Oyelowo is set to produce, alongside his wife Jessica Oyelowo, and possibly star in an updated The Rocketeer movie, titled The Return of the Rocketeer. The character is based on the 1982 comic book about a 1930s stunt pilot who discovers a jet pack which he uses to become a costumed hero, gaining the attention of the FBI, Howard Hughes, and the Nazis.
This new version seems suited for Oyelowo to star in, as it will follow a retired Tuskegee airman who becomes the new Rocketeer. He played a member of the Tuskegee airmen in the 2012 film Red Tails. Ed Ricourt, best known for writing Now You See Me and episodes of Jessica Jones, is on the screenplay.
The Rocketeer didn’t do big numbers at the box office, but it has lived on as a cult favorite. Joe Johnston, who would go on to direct Captain America: The First Avenger, another movie steeped in nostalgia for the 1930s/40s era, was director with Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly starring.
