Disney’s The Return of the Rocketeer, a sequel to The Rocketeer, gets an optimistic update from its producer-star. The Rocketeer is a 1991 superhero film about a pilot who happens upon a jetpack that allows him to transform into a flying, masked superhero. The Rocketeer was directed by Joe Johnston and stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Terry O’Quinn, and Timothy Dalton.
Decades later, the Disney superhero movie The Rocketeer 2’s potential producer and star David Oyelowo provides an update surrounding the status of the sequel. As the actor tells TheWrap, the script for the sequel is still being developed, but the project has “forward momentum.” Oyelowo went on to rave about The Rocketeer, calling it “aspirational, inspirational, [and] heroic.” In making the sequel, Oyelowo claims that they are making “this story in a slightly different way.” Check out the full quote from Oyelowo below:
We have forward momentum. I know you guys hear this stuff all the time, but we are in the script development stage and if you’re going to reinvigorate that beloved franchise, you better come with the goods. And so Eugene Ashe is currently writing away and we were talking about it only this week. We’re all very committed to that. But it’s going to have to be great and we will not rest until it is.
Well, I loved the original film. I remember seeing it, and again, not unlike the cowboy genre, there was something about it, the aspirational, inspirational, heroic quality of it. I also liked that it was sort of a bit more DIY and do it yourself in terms of the pack. It wasn’t superpowers. It was a guy. It just felt more grounded somehow.
I had the idea of what happens if the jetpack is passed on to an ex-Tuskegee Airman, someone who you’re not having to do a bunch of heavy lifting as to why does he have the skill and the bravery to be able to don the pack and go off and be heroic?
That is something that I think the original film had to do a little bit more heavy lifting around is… Secord, he’s this circus pilot, and then how does he get to do that? And all that kind of stuff. But a guy coming out of World War II who is an ace at what he does, those skills are transferable. And that became the jump off for what felt like, and thankfully Disney agreed, a very exciting way into doing this story in a slightly different way.
The Rocketeer 2’s Sequel Progress Explained
The Rocketeer sequel was originally announced back in 2021, with the prospective title Return of the Rocketeer. The film was said to follow the story of a retired Tuskegee airman who takes on the role of the Rocketeer. Oyelowo was announced to be producing and likely starring in the film, with a script written by Now You See Me’s Ed Ricourt.
Since the initial announcement, however, progress on The Rocketeer has been slow. The film’s prospective director, J.D. Dillard, reported leaving The Return of the Rocketeer the following year, leaving the film without a director. This departure also comes after a series of failed attempts by Disney to make a follow-up to The Rocketeer, including a remake helmed by James Wan. That film did not pan out, and Disney instead produced a single-season Disney Junior TV show based on The Rocketeer.
Every Character In The Rocketeer Based On A Real Person
Disney’s The Rocketeer features many historical elements from the World War II era, including a number of characters based on real people.
While Oyelowo’s update does nothing by way of revealing a release date or further casting information for The Rocketeer sequel, Oyelowo’s statement does at least confirm that the film is still in development. Because of Oyelowo’s attachment to the project at the producer level, his enthusiasm towards the work is also promising. Hopefully, Oyelowo and his team can turn that passion into progress as The Return of the Rocketeer continues its development.
