"The Rocketeer" Reboot Taps Filmmaker Eugene Ashe To Pen Script

The reboot for the cult-classic Disney film, The Rocketeer, which is headed to Disney+, has tapped a writer according to a new report from TheWrap.

What’s Happening:

Filmmaker Eugene Ashe (Sylvie’s Love) has been tapped to write The Rocketeer reboot set for Disney+. The Wrap has exclusively learned.
David Oyelowo (Selma, Silo) is attached to star and produce the project, which falls under his two year first look deal with Disney that his wife, Jessica Oyelowo, is also a part of.
Ashe is a writer-director and former Sony Music recording artist from Harlem, New York. In 2012, he made his feature directorial debut on the rom-com Homecoming, based on his off-Broadway play.
He broke out with his second feature film, Sylvie’s Love, a period romance set in the early 60s and tells the story of a young Black woman who falls in love with a Jewish man. The 2020 film found success with critics for its authentic portrayal of the era and its heartwarming story.
Oyelowo assures fans of the original that the new film is in good hands.
Set in 1938 Los Angeles, the original Disney film followed Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), a young stunt pilot who stumbled upon a prototype jetpack. Secord straps on the rocket and becomes the high-flying hero known as The Rocketeer. However, when Nazis and other villains become interested in the rocket pack, Secord must use his new powers to protect his loved one, including his struggling actress girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), and save the day. While the movie was heavily hyped and strongly supported by Disney, it underperformed at the box office, failing to meet the lofty expectations, but has found an audience and became a cult favorite.
The film itself was based on the comic book character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens, who first appeared as a back-up story in the pages of Starslayer in 1982. The character then starred in his own title, saving his Betty Page-ish girlfriend from villains and uncovering sinister plots.
In 2019 the character returned for an animated preschool series called The Rocketeer, which also saw Campbell return. That series was canceled after a single season, and can still be found on Disney+.
The reboot will be produced by the Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon Productions banner. Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil’s Mortal Media are the executive producers.

What They’re Saying:

David Oyelowo: “I was a big fan of the first one. Actually had the poster up in my bedroom as a teenager. It’s a beloved property over [at Disney], so to be trusted with it is a real privilege. We’re going to take care of the fans of the original and hopefully bring in a whole new fanbase…We know we have to adhere to the things that people loved about the first one. But that was 30 years ago, so we want to make a film that’s going to resonate for the next 30 years and especially for the now. That’s the needle we have to thread and we’re working hard to do so.”