As Disney culls its library for titles to update, it appears The Rocketeer will be getting a sequel with actor David Oyelowo producing with his wife Jessica.
It will be called The Return of the Rocketeer, and is being developed by the Disney live-action film team.
The project, written by Ed Ricourt, is said to focus on a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle. It’s possible Oyelowo will also star in the film as that airman, though no casting announcement has been made.
Ricourt has written for Marvel/Netflix’s Jessica Jones, on which he was also a consulting producer, and he also wrote the hit film Now You See Me.
The Oyelowo’s production company, Yoruba Saxon, is also producing the upcoming Disney+ series, First Gen, and has several movies to its credit, including 2020’s family fantasy film Come Away. As an actor, Oyelowo is best known for 2014’s Selma.
The original movie. which was released thirty years ago in 1991, tells the story of a young pilot who stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero. It was directed by Joe Johnston and adapted from Dave Stevens’ graphic novel, and starred Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles.
Are you a fan of The Rocketeer? Are you interested in this sequel? Let us know in the comments!