 Stevens , Bilson and De Meo began to consider making The Rocketeer as a low @-@ budget film , shot in black @-@ and @-@ white and funded by independent investors . Their plan was to make the film a complete homage to the Commando Cody serial films , and use a cast largely associated with character actors . However , that same year , the trio approached William Dear to direct / co @-@ write The Rocketeer , and they eventually dropped the low @-@ budget idea . Bilson , De Meo , and Dear kept the comic book 's basic plot intact , but fleshed it out to include a Hollywood setting and a climactic battle against a Nazi Zeppelin . They also tweaked Cliff 's girlfriend to avoid comparisons to Bettie Page ( Stevens ' original inspiration ) , changing her name from Betty to Jenny and her profession from nude model to Hollywood extra ( a change also made to make the film more family friendly ) . Dear proceeded to transform the climax from a submarine into a Zeppelin setpiece . 
