The Rocketeer Couldn’t Outfly Disney’s DEI Retreat

Boom. Another one bites the dust. David Oyelowo just confirmed what many suspected: Disney's The Return of the Rocketeer—a sequel poised to reimagine the jetpack hero as a Black WWII pilot—is officially shelved. But here's the twist: Oyelowo isn't blaming creative differences or budget cuts. He's pointing straight at Hollywood's shrinking appetite for diverse stories post-2020.

“If this were 2018, we'd already be in theaters,” Oyelowo told The LA Times. Translation? The same studios that pledged “systemic change” after George Floyd's murder are now quietly filing those promises under “Corporate Initiatives We'd Rather Forget.”

From Jetpacks to Backpedals

Let's rewind. The original Rocketeer (1991) was a pulpy, nostalgic romp—think Indiana Jones with a rocket strapped to his back. The sequel, however, promised something bolder: a passing-of-the-torch narrative to a Black aviator, tapping into the real-life legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. It was a no-brainer… until it wasn't.

Oyelowo's theory? Disney's DEI freeze-out. And the receipts are damning:

• The NY Times recently declared the end of Hollywood's “awkward diversity era.”
• The Telegraph gleefully announced a “great unwokening.”
• Disney itself slashed DEI programs by 50% in 2023 (via Bloomberg).

“Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun—another project I was developing—got the same treatment,” 

Oyelowo added. 

“The support was performative. Now it's evaporated.”

History Repeats (But With Less Enthusiasm)

This isn't new. Remember 2016's Ghostbusters reboot? Or 2018's Ocean's 8? Studios love diversity—until the box office sours or the cultural mood shifts. But here's the kicker: Rocketeer never even got its shot. Unlike, say, The Little Mermaid remake (which faced racist backlash but still grossed $570M), Disney axed Oyelowo's project before testing audience appetite.

Why? Fear of backlash. Conservative pundits have spent years framing DEI as “forced wokeness.” Now, studios are preemptively self-censoring to avoid becoming Fox News fodder.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Oyelowo's right—this isn't about merit. It's about risk-averse execs treating diversity like a trend, not a tectonic shift. And when the next “moment” comes? They'll scramble to rebrand their indifference as progress.

The Rocketeer's jetpack was supposed to defy gravity. Turns out, corporate cowardice weighs more than steel.