Joe Johnston’s 1991 cult-classic The Rocketeer has been the subject of sequel rumours for years, particularly in the wake of the director’s well-received handling of Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011. Well, now it appears that Disney are looking to fire up the boosters on a revival with the news that a Disney+ movie is ready to launch, with David Oyelowo set to produce and potentially star in The Return of the Rocketeer.
Deadline reports that David and Jessica Oyelowo are producing under their Yoruba Saxon banner, working from a script written by Now You See Me‘s Ed Ricourt, and that the Selma actor might strap on the backpack himself in a starring role.
The Rocketeer told the story of a young pilot who stumbles upon a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero. Starring Billy Campbell (Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth) and Alan Arkin (Argo), the graphic novel adaptation was something of a box-office misfire, grossing $46M at the domestic box-office, but has since become regarded as an ahead-of-its-time cult-classic.
The Return of the Rocketeer will jettison the plot of the original movie and instead tell the story of a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle.
Are you a fan of The Rocketeer? Would you be excited to see Oyelowo put on the jetpack? Let us know what you think of this news by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
