*Disney is returning to its 1991 film “The Rocketeer” with L.A. Clippers star Blake Griffin, Carolina Panthers player Ryan Kalil and Brigham Taylor (“The Jungle Book”) producing an update that would cast a black actress as the main character.
The original Touchstone-Disney film, based on a 1980s comic book, starred white actress Jennifer Connelly as the female lead, and Billy Campbell as Cliff Secord a.k.a. The Rocketeer.
The new version, tentatively titled “The Rocketeers,” is being called a “sequel reboot” of the ’91 film. According to TheWrap, it centers around a young African-American female pilot who tries to stop an evil rocket scientist from stealing jetpack technology during a pivotal moment in the Cold War. She takes over the mantel for Cliff Secord.
“The Rocketeers” is in the “very early development phase” at Walt Disney Studios, reports TheWrap. Relative newcomers Max Winkler (Henry Winkler’s son, who wrote and directed 2010’s “Ceremony”) and Matthew Spicer are writing the script.
Below, a trailer for the original 1991 film: