A sequel to a sci-fi movie that was a fan favorite for fans of all ages wound up canceled by Disney. While the studio continues to push out dozens of new movies and streaming shows for release with each passing year, there are still a few projects that fail to make it past the early stages of development.
Disney reportedly canceled The Return of the Rocketeer, which was lined up to be a sequel to the 1991 movie The Rocketeer. The sequel had been in discussions for years and seemed to be on its way to going into development, but it had not gotten off the ground in the 34 years since the original film was released.
According to What's on Disney Plus, the film was going to tell the story of a retired Tuskegee airman (a group of largely African-American military pilots/airmen from World War II) who takes up the Rocketeer mantle. It was being developed by David Oyelowo and Yoruba Saxon, his production company. Former NBA star Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil of Mortal Media were set to be executive producers.
Along with the What's on Disney Plus report, Oyelowo told the Los Angeles Times in late April that the film does not appear to be moving forward. Explaining how they gained traction with other movies, he described feeling like much of the traction he gained previously "was performative and not bone-deep," leaving certain new projects to be more difficult to make:
"'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."
Originally released in 1991, The Rocketeer centered on a cocky stunt pilot in love with an actress before discovering a jet pack hidden in a biplane. Becoming The Rocketeer, he has to use his alter ego to protect the actress from an evil actor and Nazis, who are trying to take the technology for themselves. The film is currently streaming on Disney+.
Other Recently Canceled Projects From Disney
While the sequel to The Rocketeer is the most recent new project to be canceled by Disney, the studio has cut production on a number of other high-profile projects in recent weeks and months.
Earlier in 2025, Tiana star Anika Noni Rose expressed disappointment in a Tiana series being canceled, which would have allowed her to continue the heroine's story from 2009's The Princess and the Frog. She could not help but feel saddened by the project coming to an end, but she thanked everybody involved and the fans for the support she saw in her endeavor.
Additionally, The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard discussed her Witch Mountain Disney+ project not moving forward in August 2024. Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, known for their work on Star Trek: Picard and the 12 Monkeys, were in line to write the project, but it never saw the light of day.
For now, it appears The Return of the Rocketeer will remain shelved for the foreseeable future unless Disney is able to work out any outstanding problems tied to its development. However, considering how fluid the company's strategy is with streaming releases, the odds of that happening are quite low.
