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 Republic's "Commando Cody" serials, 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.