Movies and TV Disney’s The Rocketeer Being Reloaded

**Tribal Warfare** · 08-22-2012, 02:54 PM

Exclusive: Disney’s The Rocketeer Being Reloaded
By Claude Brodesser-Akner

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, and was conceived by artist Dave Stevens as an homage to the serial action heroes of the thirties. By the time Disney released The Rocketeer in 1991, Pacific had already been liquidated for half a decade. Stevens lost a battle with leukemia in March 2008 – just two months before Marvel’s adaptation of Iron Man was released.
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.

**AustinChief** · 08-22-2012, 03:04 PM

Who wrote this? The Rocketeer is similar to Iron Man??? WTF?? Yes they both can fly. The Rocketeer is just like Superman!

Claude Brodesser-Akner should maybe research a subject before writing about it.

Alos, who says Disney studios is in trouble??? Didn't they just put out a movie that grossed 1.5 BILLION. And not long before that they had a bunch of pirate movies that seemed to do ok. The guy who wrote this is a moron.

I'm not sure how I feel about a Rocketeer reboot. I love the original as it is.

Javabean · 08-23-2012, 07:23 AM

Disney's movie studio had a horrible second quarter, losing something like $90 million largely due to John Carter, and their second quarter last year was pretty bad, too, with that mom from Mars movie. The Avengers obviously more than made up for it, and they're positioned well for the foreseeable future with the various Marvel movies, so "troubled" doesn't apply now, but I think it was accurate just a few months ago.

As for The Rocketeer, the original was pretty good, especially for its time. I'm interested in seeing a reboot though -- with all the advances in the genre since then, it could be worth remaking.

Deberg_1990 · 08-23-2012, 08:10 AM

I havent seen this film in years, but i remember liking it alot when i was younger. reminded me alot of the old black and white serials. Kind of like INdiana Jones.

**Buehler445** · 08-23-2012, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

I havent seen this film in years, but i remember liking it alot when i was younger. reminded me alot of the old black and white serials. Kind of like INdiana Jones.

It was on some channel a few weeks ago and it hasn't aged well. I remember liking it when I was a kid, and I had no idea Jennifer Connely was in it. I had good taste even back then.

lcarus · 08-23-2012, 09:47 AM

I remember my parents taking me to the original at the theater, and I hated it. I just had no desire to see it. Maybe there was something else I was wanting to do, like play a video game or play with my friends. I just remember hating it but I was a kid. Who knows if it was really a good movie or not.

**DaneMcCloud** · 08-23-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Alos, who says Disney studios is in trouble??? Didn't they just put out a movie that grossed 1.5 BILLION.

Disney was just the distributor - they didn't actually make the film. Disney has had really bad luck the past few decades, so they've made distribution deals with companies like Pixar and Marvel. Otherwise, they'd be dead in the water.

I have friends that work over at Disney who say it's just dead. They've got like three guys archiving all the old footage and restoring it. Other than that, there's not much going on outside of their children's division.

And John Carter really hurt them, again. Andrew Stanton was a poor choice and couldn't cross over from animation to live action like Brad Bird.

Deberg_1990 · 08-23-2012, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Disney was just the distributor - they didn't actually make the film. Disney has had really bad luck the past few decades, so they've made distribution deals with companies like Pixar and Marvel. Otherwise, they'd be dead in the water.

I have friends that work over at Disney who say it's just dead. They've got like three guys archiving all the old footage and restoring it. Other than that, there's not much going on outside of their children's division.

And John Carter really hurt them, again. Andrew Stanton was a poor choice and couldn't cross over from animation to live action like Brad Bird.

Yea, without PIXAR Disney would be in a world of hurt. It was pretty smart to obtain the Marvel movies.

I liked John Carter.....didnt love it, but it was ok. Poorly marketed and it had no female appeal for a crossover audience. Female appeal is huge right now.

Aries Walker · 08-23-2012, 10:52 AM

The Rocketeer is more like Captain America, I think - especially since both movies were directed by the same man.

Frazod · 08-23-2012, 11:00 AM

Christ, leave it alone.

No CGI special effects can replace the uberhot epic perfection of the young, pre-annorexic Jennifer Connelly.

Setsuna · 08-26-2012, 05:45 PM

Ohhh yeah! I remember that movie. I loved it as a kid. Yeah she was hot stuff. But man that brings back memories.

**Bowser** · 08-26-2012, 05:50 PM

Jesus, Hollywood is even rebooting average movies now.

**pr_capone** · 08-27-2012, 01:41 AM

Deberg_1990 · 08-27-2012, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr_capone

Heh, yea pretty much. Mainstream Hollywood has pretty much abandoned the adult drama that isn't high concept or didnt orginate from an established popular source material.

**AustinChief** · 08-27-2012, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Disney was just the distributor - they didn't actually make the film. Disney

no, that was Iron Man, since then they bought all of Marvel. Studios included.
but I guess if you only talk about Disney itself and leave all the companies they own out, then maybe so. Don't they own Pixar too? Oh and everything after the first Iron Man has been since Disney bought Marvel in 2009.

08-22-2012, 02:54 PM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $942813	Disney’s The Rocketeer Being Reloaded Exclusive: Disney’s The Rocketeer Being Reloaded By Claude Brodesser-Akner 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, and was conceived by artist Dave Stevens as an homage to the serial action heroes of the thirties. By the time Disney released The Rocketeer in 1991, Pacific had already been liquidated for half a decade. Stevens lost a battle with leukemia in March 2008 – just two months before Marvel’s adaptation of Iron Man was released. 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.
Posts: 42,034

08-22-2012, 03:04 PM	#2
AustinChief Administrator Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Austin Casino cash: $2699112	Who wrote this? The Rocketeer is similar to Iron Man??? WTF?? Yes they both can fly. The Rocketeer is just like Superman! Claude Brodesser-Akner should maybe research a subject before writing about it. Alos, who says Disney studios is in trouble??? Didn't they just put out a movie that grossed 1.5 BILLION. And not long before that they had a bunch of pirate movies that seemed to do ok. The guy who wrote this is a moron. I'm not sure how I feel about a Rocketeer reboot. I love the original as it is.
Posts: 19,495

08-23-2012, 07:23 AM	#3
Javabean Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Austin, TX Casino cash: $8433845	Disney's movie studio had a horrible second quarter, losing something like $90 million largely due to John Carter, and their second quarter last year was pretty bad, too, with that mom from Mars movie. The Avengers obviously more than made up for it, and they're positioned well for the foreseeable future with the various Marvel movies, so "troubled" doesn't apply now, but I think it was accurate just a few months ago. As for The Rocketeer, the original was pretty good, especially for its time. I'm interested in seeing a reboot though -- with all the advances in the genre since then, it could be worth remaking. __________________ postCount++;
Posts: 427

08-23-2012, 08:10 AM	#4
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3914454	I havent seen this film in years, but i remember liking it alot when i was younger. reminded me alot of the old black and white serials. Kind of like INdiana Jones. __________________ Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning: Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down. One of the best plays Matt has ever made.
Posts: 66,914

08-23-2012, 09:47 AM	#6
lcarus Everybody Lies. Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: 22 Acacia Avenue Casino cash: $1889928	I remember my parents taking me to the original at the theater, and I hated it. I just had no desire to see it. Maybe there was something else I was wanting to do, like play a video game or play with my friends. I just remember hating it but I was a kid. Who knows if it was really a good movie or not.
Posts: 17,335

08-23-2012, 10:52 AM	#9
Aries Walker Back again, again. Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: York, PA Casino cash: $9583357	The Rocketeer is more like Captain America, I think - especially since both movies were directed by the same man.
Posts: 8,179

08-23-2012, 11:00 AM	#10
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $3155085	Christ, leave it alone. No CGI special effects can replace the uberhot epic perfection of the young, pre-annorexic Jennifer Connelly.
Posts: 119,484

08-26-2012, 05:45 PM	#11
Setsuna Paladin Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Gator Country Casino cash: $10008487	Ohhh yeah! I remember that movie. I loved it as a kid. Yeah she was hot stuff. But man that brings back memories.
Posts: 13,215

08-26-2012, 05:50 PM	#12
Bowser sorta mod-ish Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: KC North Casino cash: $3471616	Jesus, Hollywood is even rebooting average movies now.
Posts: 100,579

08-27-2012, 01:41 AM	#13
pr_capone ** SOC & ** YOU Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chiefs Hell Casino cash: $10018214
Posts: 19,884