David Oyelowo has a positive update regarding Disney’s upcoming sequel to The Rocketeer, The Return of the Rocketeer.
Speaking with The Wrap, Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Oyelowo provided an update regarding the upcoming sequel to the 1991 cult film.
“We have forward momentum,” he shared. “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.”
When asked what made him want to be a part of the movie, Oyelowo said, “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.”
What else do we know about The Return of the Rocketeer?
Originally announced as a reboot before it was turned into a sequel, The Rocketeer 2 was officially named The Return of the Rocketeer in 2021. J.D. Dillard was initially attached to direct the movie; however, he stepped away from the project in November 2022. Before Ashe boarded the film, Ed Ricourt was hired to write a screenplay that reportedly follows “a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the mantle of the Rocketeer.”
Directed by Joe Johnston, The Rocketeer was released in 1991 by Walt Disney and Touchstone Pictures. The movie received positive reviews at the time; however, it underperformed at the box office until it later developed a cult following. The movie stars Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, and Jennifer Connelly.
The Rocketeer is currently streaming on Disney+. A release date for The Return of the Rocketeer has not yet been announced.
