Rocketeer reboot

[Tom Morrow]

'Rocketeer' reboot

Disney’s 'The Rocketeer' being reloaded New York Magazine Now that Disney’s troubled movie studio is under new management, our spies tells us that, curiously, one of the first properties to be developed for a feature film is a reboot of 1991’s thirties-set adventure film, The Rocketeer. We say ‘curiously’ because while the property was actually a flop at the time, its similarity to the current Disney-Marvel cash cow Iron Man is more than a little striking: In it, a racing pilot named Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) discovers a rocket-pack prototype in his stunt plane, hidden there by the gangsters who stole it from Howard Hughes; Secord tries it out, and, like Tony Stark, quickly discovers that a) flying without a plane is SO cool, and b) you gotta fight the bad guys (including Timothy Dalton, who two years prior had starred as James Bond for the second time) and save the girl (a luminous Jennifer Connelly). While both properties are based on comic books, Iron Man actually arrived on the scene first: The Rocketeer was first published in 1982 by tiny (and now, sadly, defunct) Pacific Comics. By the time Disney released The Rocketeer in 1991, Pacific had already been liquidated for half a decade. We’re told the studio will soon be meeting with various writers to come up with a take. But its reappearance at Disney now, of course, begs the question: Why? What is new studio chief Alan Horn up to? It could be an early sign that the former Warner Bros. chief doesn’t just view his new job at Disney Studios as that of a mere portfolio manager, content to make sure acquisitions like Marvel, The Muppets, and Pixar, which keep churning out their own properties as Disney’s brand withers. That would be good news, indeed. by Claude Brodesser-Akner complete article

Submitted by Ezra

[PhineasTheGhost]

I'm hoping this does well. If so, I'd expect a new E-Ticket in Hollywood Land at DCA. It'd be so perfect!

[Big Disney Fan]

I wonder if they would set the movie in a time period as they did in the original movie, which was set in 1938.

[Space Mountain]

I really want this to be good. But, part of me really wants this to not happen! It was a flop initially but a lot of people loved it after the fact. Idk, I'm skeptical, but let's see what they can do. James Horner should come back and do the score for it definitely. It's one of my favorite movie scores. Maybe remaster or re-orchestrate it? It'd be great for sure!

[Horbigast]

I think the "why" is the explosion of success in the Superhero movie genre over the past few years. Between the Dark Knight franchise, the Iron Man / Thor / Captain America and of course, the Avengers sucesses, I'm sure there have been endless meetings in the Disney movie studio about which superheroes they're planning on putting to film. Heck, if they're putting Guardians of the Galaxy to film (which was not a marquee Marvel publication, even in its heyday), they're exploring every possibility.

That said, I'm sure most people are still wondering, "why the Rocketeer, though?" I think the Rocketeer was an excellent film, with a wonderful look & feel, a rousing musical score, a great leading cast, and exceptional special effects for its' time. True, it wasn't without its' flaws, but I always thought it deserved better than its' "Flop" label.

In my humble opinion, the film was considered to have done poorly mainly because of a few factors:
Though I hate to say it (because I feel the emphasis on "recognizeable actors" is terribly overstated in Hollywood), but aside from Tim Dalton (who American audiences were lukewarm to as James Bond), the film boasted almost no star power.
Also, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves opened the week prior, and was still packing theaters when the Rocketeer opened. Just as Robin Hood was cooling off a few weeks later, a little film by the name of Terminator 2: Judgment Day opened to massive profits. Squished between these two box office juggernauts, the Rocketeer never had a chance. Combine those factors with how much money Disney had spent on producing the film, it had no way to succeed.

I'm sure Disney knows they made good movie in the original Rocketeer, and maybe they've always wanted another kick at the can, since it didn't get the acclaim it deserved. Disney also knows better than anyone to strike when the iron is hot as far as trends go, and with all the great superhero movies over the past few years, and a new Superman reboot set to come out in 2013, they're going to push that genre until it stops paying off. In the meantime, I'm excited to see as many superhero flicks as they're willing to produce, especially since the special effects these days can finally do the material justice.

[skrach]

It makes sense.. would fit great in California soarin and blend well in condor flatts. There is also a mannequin with the rocketeer uniform on the upper balcony inside Elias and Co.



thanks,
Douglas Johnson
"Skrach"
www.VividlyVintage.com