Disney is Officially Rebooting THE ROCKETEER with a Black Female Lead
The Rocketeer is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I've been bracing for this news for a long time: Disney is officially developing a sequel/reboot called The Rocketeers. But here's the most surprising part: it will be headlined by a black female character.
THR has the news, and a synopsis of what the story will be about:
The new take keeps the story in a period setting and offers a fresh view on the characters. Set six years after the original Rocketeer and after [Cliff] Secord has vanished while fighting the Nazis, an unlikely new hero emerges: a young African–American female pilot, who takes up the mantle of Rocketeer in an attempt to stop an ambitious and corrupt rocket scientist from stealing jet-pack technology in what could prove to be a turning point in the Cold War.
There are obvious shades of The Force Awakens in there with Secord going missing and a young woman rising up as the new protagonist, but since Rey turned out to be a great character, it seems like that's a pretty good model to use as a way to continue this story.
The original Rocketeer followed a pilot named Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) who discovers a jet pack and takes to the skies to defeat a Nazi spy, all set against the backdrop of glamorous Hollywood in the late 1930s. It's a truly wonderful movie, and if you haven't seen it, quit your job, bail on your summer school classes, do whatever you have to do to carve out time to watch it as soon as possible. I covered the 20th anniversary screening event Disney held for the movie a few years ago, and it was one of the best theatrical experiences I've ever had.
Max Winkler and Matt Spicer are writing this new movie, which will presumably have Campbell coming back to reprise his role. (Maybe Jennifer Connelly and Alan Arkin will come back, too?) Brigham Taylor, who produced The Jungle Book with Jon Favreau, is producing alongside — get this — Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers and Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers. They must have been big fans of the movie growing up. No word yet on who will direct, but I have to assume Joe Johnston has at least been contacted or is in contention if he wants the job, since he directed the original. We'll definitely keep you up to date with more information as soon as it arrives.
What do you think about this idea?
