A Rocketeer Remake is on the Way

Movies

Ready for another remake? Well, it’s 2023, so it doesn’t matter. The Wrap exclusively reports that Disney is preparing a remake of The Rocketeer, the 1991 adventure movie based on the comic book series. The original film, directed by Joe Johnston of Captain America: The First Avenger, took place in 1938, with pilot Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) finding an experimental rocket pack in a plane and using it to become a sort of superhero called the Rocketeer, who ends up battling Nazi spies. Jennifer Connelly, Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, and Terry O’Quinn also starred. The remake will be written by Eugene Ashe and will star David Oyelowo as the Rocketeer, who in this version will be a former Tuskegee airman. Oyelowo says he wants to “make a film that’s going to resonate for the next 30 years and especially for the now.” Buckle up, folks.

They only have one move with these remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, and whatever other buzzwords they use for what are essentially the same things. They either change the race, sex, or sexuality of the main character, and now, Cliff Secord (or whatever they end up calling the guy who becomes the Rocketeer) is a black guy. But it isn’t going to stop there, based on David Oyelowo’s comments. The Rocketeer was an old-fashioned adventure movie in the vein of Indiana Jones, with a regular guy thrust into a fight against the Nazis during World War II. Now, it’s going to be about identity politics because Hollywood thinks that’s the only topical issue right now. The Rocketeer doesn’t have to be an “important” movie; it has to be a fun movie. It also doesn’t have to be remade, but we’re not escaping useless remakes anytime soon, and I guess someone threw a dart at a board and hit The Rocketeer, so here we are. And if you’ve never seen it, you should absolutely give The Rocketeer a shot; it’s a terrific adventure film from back when Disney wanted to entertain.