It looks like Disney is ready to revive a cult classic, as Deadline is reporting that a new film titled The Return of the Rocketeer will bring new life into the 1991 classic, The Rocketeer. It’ll release on Disney+ with David and Jessica Oyelowo set to produce through their Yoruba Saxon banner. Ed Ricourt will pen the script with David Oyelowo also potentially starring int he titular role. There is currently no director attached. It’ll be the first film under Yoruba Saxon’s first-look deal with Disney. Deadline also shared some first story details, as it will follow a retired Tuskegee airman, who takes up the mantle.
Ricourt made his mark with the hit Now You See Me and Marvel’s Jessica Jones. He even was a consulting producer on that series and went on to pen Raising Dion for Netflix. He has some heavy shoes to fill by bringing Joe Johnston‘s 1991 film to life while staying true to Dave Stevens original graphic novel. The story of a young pilot finding a jetpack and helping others stuck with many over the years.
Updating the project and acting as a sequel is a smart move. Rather than just retelling the original, they can continue the legacy set up and even see how the character would look like in a new era. It heading directly to streaming is a curious decision and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of budget the film will get. The franchise did make a return in 2019 as a children show on Disney Junior and Disney Channel, which followed a young girl named Katherine “Kit” Secord, which was promptly cancelled after only one season.
Source: Deadline
