Disney planning sequel to 1991 ‘Rocketeer’ movie: report

By Ken Shepherd - The Washington Times - Thursday, July 28, 2016

Disney is reaching into the vault to dust off a 25-year-old comic-book movie hit, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The entertainment-news magazine reported Thursday that the company will produce a sequel to “The Rocketeer,” casting a black actress in the lead role.

Unlike the original, which involved a conflict with a Nazi sympathizer, the sequel reportedly will take place in the early days of the Cold War.

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When the original movie was released in 1991, “it grossed only $46.6 million and came in fourth in its opening weekend,” noted the Hollywood Reporter. “Its performance was considered a disappointment by the studio and its creative team.”

But the movie became a cult classic with a devoted fan base.

“When Disney hosted a 20th anniversary screening of the movie in Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre in 2011, fans — many in Rocketeer costumes — lined up for blocks,” according to the Reporter.

The comic book of which the movie was based was itself something of a nostalgic labor of love. “Rocketeer was based on the popular 1980s indie comic by Dave Stevens and, like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, was a loving homage to the serials of the 1930s and 1940s,” said the Reporter.

News of the planned sequel comes a day before “Rocketeer” creator Dave Stevens would have turned 60. Mr. Stevens died in 2008 after a battle with leukemia.