According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Studios is moving forward with a sequel/reboot to the 1991 cult-favorite “The Rocketeer.”  Apparently, Max Winkler (Son of The Fonz) and Matt Spicer have already been hired to start writing this follow-up which, in-line with the recent gender-bent trends, will have a team of female pilots donning the jetpacks.   Wisely, the story is not a full reboot of the film (based on a comic book series), instead takes place six years after the original movie, with Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) lost over enemy lines.

Brigham Taylor, who produced The Jungle Book with Jon Favreau, is producing along with Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers and Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers. Griffin and Kalil are partners in a new venture called Mortal Media and approached Taylor with the idea for the reboot….

The new take keeps the story in a period setting and offers a fresh view on the characters. 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.

Tendo Nagenda and Chaz Salembier are overseeing the project for Disney.

There’s no word yet if any of the original cast will be returning, but we’d be surprised if they didn’t, at least in cameos.  As huge fans of “The Rocketeer” we are cautiously optimistic about this over two-decade late followup.  We always love to see our favorite films return after a long absence, but far too often the new films completely miss the magic that made us love the originals.

What are your thoughts?  Excited about “The Rocketeers” or should Hollywood stop trying to resurrect old franchises?