Disney to Remake/ Reboot The Rocketeer

[Greg Cox]

Everyone is too old for a sequel to the original.

And much of today's audience wasn't even born when the original came out, over two decades ago. And, as much as it's fondly remembered in certain circles, the first movie failed at the box office. So this really isn't a case of "if it's not broke . . . ." It broke the first time out, twenty-plus years ago.

So, yeah, Disney can be forgiven for not wanting to do a sequel to a flop from over twenty years ago!

Starting over is the only sensible plan.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

If its still a period piece where he is involved with and battling Nazi's I am all for a reboot of this property. Anything else and I am out.

When does fighting Nazis ever get old? If it has the mob and the Feds settling their differences for a minute and going after Nazi paratroopers with tommy guns, all the better.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I remember seeing the original in the theater when was 12. As long as this is faithful to spirit of the original I am very excited. As other have said a period tribute to old pulps and movies.

It appears a lot of people who grew up as fans are working at Disney now. The revamped California Adventure has a few small references to the movie. Buena Vista Street is themed to 1920's and 1930s Los Angeles. There are posters for the air show the Rocketeer first appeared at and the South Sea club. There is a line of Mail boxes. One is labeled A. Peabody, Peevy's real name. Also in a shop there is a group of mannequins. One is of a man wearing exactly the same type of leather jacket the Rocketeer did.

 

[Christopher]

^Which could explain the interest in rebooting the property. I imagine that's also why it's been revived at IDW -- people who were fans of the original comic are now running comics companies.

 

[Greg Cox]

^Which could explain the interest in rebooting the property. I imagine that's also why it's been revived at IDW -- people who were fans of the original comic are now running comics companies.

That's often the case. Fans grow up, get in positions of power, and bring back their nostalgic favorites.

Expect the $500 million remake of FIREFLY about twenty years from now . . . .

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ F*ck that, it better be a continuation!!!!!!

 

[Dick Whitman]

^Which could explain the interest in rebooting the property. I imagine that's also why it's been revived at IDW -- people who were fans of the original comic are now running comics companies.

Exactly. On Disney forums, fans have been hoping for years for a Rocketeer ride to be added to that park. Based on it perfectly fitting the new theming.

I love the movie but until recently I was doubtful it would ever happen. Because the movie was not a success financially. But now that Buena Vista Street opened in June those tributes have been revealed. Plus the new comics. But particularly this report of Disney being interested in a new movie. Its very possible a Rocketeer ride would be created if the new movie is popular.

 

[The Badger]

... That said, in the interests of creativity, I would like to present a motion that the rocketeer be a dame this time around. (The Bettie Page-esque love interest can stay.)

http://www.dieselpunks.org/group/fashion/forum/topics/rocketeer-female-cosplay

She'll risk some serious burns flying like that.

 

[Holdfast]

The Rocketeer was a fun little movie but it had its flaws too. I certainly don't think there's any harm in a new version, and potentially a lot of good could come of it. And if it's awful, well, that hardly means the original is any less fun.

(Talking of Disney movies of that era that are ripe for a remake, how about Dick Tracy? I actually really liked the 90s film for what it was, but would love a remake.)

 

[Christopher]

The Warren Beatty Dick Tracy didn't quite work for me. I'm not really much of a fan of Dick Tracy, but I think a good way to revive it would be Batman: The Animated Series style, as a stylized but gritty animated production, faithful to the look and feel of the original strips. DT's balance of cartoony, exaggerated elements and serious, violent crime drama would work better in that format than in live action.

 

[jbny67]

(Talking of Disney movies of that era that are ripe for a remake, how about Dick Tracy? I actually really liked the 90s film for what it was, but would love a remake.)

It won't happen unless Warren Beatty gives up the rights.

 

[Christopher]

^Couldn't Beatty just be an executive producer on a film made by someone else? That's how it's often done where film rights are concerned. For instance, every Batman movie in the past quarter-century, not just the live-action Burton, Schumacher, and Nolan films but every animated theatrical or direct-to-DVD movie that's been made from Mask of the Phantasm through the upcoming Dark Knight Returns adaptation, credits Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan as executive producers, not because they're the ones making the movies, but simply because they're the ones who own the motion picture rights to Batman, so anyone else who wants to make a Batman movie has to do it with their permission and cooperation.

 

[Holdfast]

(Talking of Disney movies of that era that are ripe for a remake, how about Dick Tracy? I actually really liked the 90s film for what it was, but would love a remake.)

It won't happen unless Warren Beatty gives up the rights.

I didn't realise he owned them.

I liked his movie: the sets, the costumes, the songs, the cast; they're all great. But the story wasn't quite as good as it good have been. Christopher suggests an animated series would do it justice, but I prefer live action to animation and think that the kind of stylised violence DT needs would be much more appreciated by current movie audiences than their early 90s equivalents.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, I meant an animated movie; I just used B:TAS as an example of how an animated production can be highly cartoony in design while also being serious, gritty, and noir in content.

 

[Holdfast]

^ Oh, I see. I thought you meant an animated TV series instead of a live-action movie. Yeah, I can imagine an animated movie working well, I guess. But I still tend to prefer live action to animation, and would love to see a modern interpretation. So much was right about the 90s version; it would be great to see a really solid story with more stylised & serious action scenes supporting the story.

 

[jbny67]

Beatty does still have the rights to Dick Tracy. What his plans are is anybody's guess.
As recent as last year he won a court battle to retain the rights and was still claiming that he intends to make another movie.
While being the producer of a Dick Tracy movie would seem to make sense, his intent seems to be to play the character once again.
He even went as far as to make "The Dick Tracy Special" in 2010 in order to retain the rights.
It featured him as Tracy being interviewed by Leonard Maltin and showed clips from all the Dick Tracy films, including his.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^Couldn't Beatty just be an executive producer on a film made by someone else?

The problem is that Beatty is an utter control freak. That's why a movie like Love Affair, in which he was nominally just the star, ended up running massively behind budget and over schedule - he kept re-writing Robert Towne's screenplay and telling Glenn Gordon Caron how to direct it. A simple love story ended up costing as much as most SFX blockbusters thanks to him. So I wouldn't be hopeful of him doing the decent thing where Dick Tracy is concerned.

PS - my choice for a live-action DT? - Chris Noth. Looks exactly like the f*cker!

 

[JediKnightButler]

I saw this for the first time not long ago and thought that it was fine just the way it was. I haven't read the comics so I might be missing something but the movie stood just fine on its own. Don't know why a reboot would be necessary/desirable. Can't people come up with some original ideas once in a while????

 

[Greg Cox]

I saw this for the first time not long ago and thought that it was fine just the way it was. I haven't read the comics so I might be missing something but the movie stood just fine on its own. Don't know why a reboot would be necessary/desirable. Can't people come up with some original ideas once in a while????

To be fair, the public is giving Hollywood seriously mixed messages. On the one hand, they claim they want original ideas. On other hand, the top-grossing movies every year tend to be sequels or remakes or new versions of old tv shows or comics.

Even around here, the most active threads tend to be about popular, long-running franchises and reboots of old favorites. Lucas announces a new Indiana Jones movie tomorrow and there will be a hundreds of posts, along with plenty of rumors and feverish speculation, by noon! And there are entire forums pining for a seventh Star Trek tv series!

And, honestly, in the case of the something like The Rocketeer that's been gathering dust for over twenty years and that didn't really catch on the first time around, why not take another go at it? Remember, 90% of the movie audience has never seen or has forgotten the old version. And today's teens weren't even born when the first movie flopped at the box office.

Hell, it took Hollywood five tries to make a decent Captain America movie. Suppose somebody had vetoed the new movie on the grounds that "hey, there's already been a b/w serial, two bad tv-movies, and a flop that went straight to DVD, why bother with Cap again? He's been done."

You can argue that the Rocketeer is overdue for another chance at glory. There's a brand-new audience out there, just waiting to discover him for the first time.

 

[Christopher]

I saw this for the first time not long ago and thought that it was fine just the way it was. I haven't read the comics so I might be missing something but the movie stood just fine on its own. Don't know why a reboot would be necessary/desirable. Can't people come up with some original ideas once in a while????

I don't know why it wouldn't be. Yes, the original stands fine on its own, but making another movie would not change that in any way. Why would it? This isn't a zero-sum game. Different interpretations of the same story or the same concept can coexist without detracting from each other in the least. The existence of David Tennant's Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet -- or heck, even Mel Gibson's Hamlet -- doesn't undermine Laurence Olivier's Hamlet or Richard Burton's Hamlet or Derek Jacobi's Hamlet. The earlier versions aren't erased from existence when the new ones come along.

(And even the Hamlet performed at the Globe Theatre right after Shakespeare wrote it was a remake, just as virtually all of Shakespeare's plays were. Originality is in the execution, not the source.)

And as I said -- The Rocketeer isn't a one-time story like Hamlet. It's the premise for a continuing series of adventures. The makers of the 1992 film clearly hoped there would be sequels, since its conclusion was open-ended. So I just do not for the life of me understand the notion that finally bringing the Rocketeer back to the screen would in any way harm or undermine the previous film.