“The Rocketeer” Sequel Dead At Disney

A while back came the news that Disney was developing “The Return of the Rocketeer,” a sequel to the 1991 Joe Johnston-directed feature starring Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Timothy Dalton and Alan Arkin.

The original film followed a stunt pilot in 1938 California who comes into possession of a prototype rocket pack from aviation magnate Howard Hughes.

J.D. Dillard was initially attached to direct the sequel but stepped away before Eugene Ashe took over as writer. The story planned to follow a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the mantle of the Rocketeer.

British actor David Oyelowo (“Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” “Government Cheese”) was slated to star and produce. At last report back in very late 2023, things were progressing with the actor saying the project had “forward momentum” but was still in the script development stage.

Cut to this week and speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Oyelowo indicated the film has effectively been cancelled.

In addition, a Netflix film take on the novel “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” which he was also attached to, is also dead in the water. It appears the current political climate has made pursuing both films problematic:

“‘Onyeka’ is an absolute bull’s-eye for what we are looking to make, but it is also symptomatic of the challenge we have. We gained traction with that project in the wake of the George Floyd murder and in a moment where there was a cultural correction and people seemed to want to do better.

But now we’re in a moment where it’s evident that a lot of that was performative and not bone-deep. Projects like that suddenly become challenged. ‘Onyeka’ being one, ‘Return of the Rocketeer’ at Disney being another.”

Disney has been notably pulling back on titles that don’t have major four-quadrant franchise potential for them, rarely taking risks. Its non-Fox 2026 & 2027 slate is defined entirely by sequels or live-action remakes involving their Pixar, Disney Animation, Star Wars or Marvel brands.

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