We’ve been hearing for years that Disney has been contemplating a reboot of Joe Johnston’s The Rocketeer, a movie that was a box office disappointment back in 1991 but still managed to develop a large fan following over time. The original came out at a time when superhero movies did not completely dominate multiplexes, but now they are faced with a new dilemma: finding a way to set apart their jet-pack wearing protagonist from Marvel’s Iron Man. This week it appears that they may have found a way to solve that problem through some unexpectedly progressive casting. The studio is reportedly working on a follow-up that will center on a black female character while also retaining the period setting. The basic plot synopsis is as follows:

“Set six years after the original Rocketeer and after Secord has vanished while fighting the Nazis, an unlikely new hero emerges: a young African–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.”

The new movie will be called The Rocketeers and it is being written by Max Winkler (Ceremony) and Matt Spicer (Magic Camp). No director is currently attached, but Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers and Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers are on board as producers along with Brigham Taylor (The Jungle Book). Obviously this is playing into a handful of Hollywood trends in that it is a sequel that also reboots the franchise with a new, younger hero plus it is also tweaking the gender and race of the lead. It is unclear if any of the original cast members will return, although the title is at least an acknowledgement that there may be more than one hero. Are you game for a new take on The Rocketeer? Who would you like to see direct?