Disney reportedly planning “The Rocketeer” reboot

in Disney, Movies

The fans have spoken and Disney has apparently listened. A reboot of the 1991 cult classic “The Rocketeer” is in the early developmentĀ stages and they have hired Max Winkler and Matt Spicer to write the script, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

With a working title of “The Rocketeers”, Disney is planning to headline the film with a young black female lead. The original period action-adventure film was based on the comic books by Dave Stevens and the new movieĀ will be considered a sequel-reboot. Should everything proceed as currently planned, the movie could be ready by 2018.

As to why Disney is even considering a sequel to a 25-year-old film that originally opened in fourth place in the box office and grossed just $46.6 million, a 20th anniversary screening of the movie at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre in 2011 which attracted droves of die-hard fans in costume reportedly made them seriously consider the idea.

The Hollywood Reporter has more on what fans can expect with this new story:

It was around that time that the studio began mulling a reboot of the movie, but sources said it sought a way to differentiate it from another rocket-propelled flying hero: Iron Man.

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 Secord has vanished while fighting the Nazis, an unlikely new hero emerges: a young Africanā€“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.

No word on what role, if any, original hero Cliff Secord may ultimately have in this sequel but we’ll have more updates on this intriguing new project as soon as we hear anything.

in Disney, Movies

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