The Rocketeers – Interesting Updates about Disney’s new Rocketeer!

The Rocketeer was a period superhero film from Walt Disney Pictures that came out way back in 1991. The film was based on the character of the same name, created by Dave Stevens. It was directed by Joe Johnston. Although the film did not break any box office records, it was liked by audiences and critics both. The film grossed $46 million on a $35 million budget. It was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but the underwhelming box office performance led the executives at Disney to cancel the plans for a sequel. Over the years, the film has amassed a cult following across the world, and action figures and memorabilia based on the film’s protagonist were still popular in Japan until 2008. In 2016, Disney announced its plans for a reboot sequel to the film.

The Rocketeers- What we know so far

The film was originally planned as a trilogy, but that didn’t happen due to its underperformance at the box-office. The lead cast of the film, Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly were also signed on for the sequels. Reflecting on the cancellation of the sequel and the reason behind it, Billy Campbell said in 2008,

“The movie didn’t make as much money as Disney had hoped. And that coupled with the acrimonious relationship that the director and the studio had, contributed to them not even considering it.”

However, in July 2016, Walt Disney Pictures confirmed that they were rebooting the film for a sequel. It would be titled The Rocketeers. The film would feature a black female lead who takes on the mantle of The Rocketeer after the original rocketeer, Cliff Secord goes missing while fighting the Nazis. It would be based six years after the events of the first film. Brigham Taylor will be producing the film. Max Winkler and Matt Spicer were writing the screenplay for the film when it was announced in 2016. But in February 2020, it was reported that Azia Squire has written a new draft for the film. Peter Ramsey, director of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, also showed interest in directing the sequel.

And yet…a Black woman in helmet/Black woman helmer combo sounds pretty cool too, @DisneyStudios. @GPBmadeit Darnell Martin @AmmaAsante.

— Peter Ramsey (@pramsey342) July 28, 2016

J.D. Dillard will be directing the sequel. It will be released on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+. As for a release date, there has been no official announcement as of now.