Disney is Rebooting 'The Rocketeer'...Yay?

This could be either a good thing or a bad thing, both for fans and for Disney... "The Rocketeer" is being rebooted.

For those who didn't go to the movies in 1991 (or weren't alive, you young'uns), you missed out on Disney's big superhero flick at a time when superhero flicks were pretty much just reserved to Batman and Superman (well, and maybe The Phantom). The company put out a movie based on the cult favorite comic book "The Rocketeer," which was set in the 1930's and centered on a test pilot who discovered a rocket pack in his plane.

The rest might remind you a bit of "Iron Man," as our hero (played by Billy Campell) dons the jet pack and decides to use it to fight crime and win the love of Jennifer Connelly. It's all a bit campy, but that's kind of the point: the character was originally based on the pulp heroes of the 1930's (as was Indiana Jones, by the way).

Here's the thing, though: "The Rocketeer" was a pretty big flop for Disney when it came out. It was made for $35 million and managed only about $46 million during its run, which doesn't make for a big profit margin when you include marketing and whatnot.

Granted, that's not "John Carter" levels of bombing, but you have to wonder why Disney Studios, under new leadership, would turn to a past flop to make up for current ones, such as the aforementioned "John Carter" or the also unsuccessful "Mars Needs Moms?" It's true that superhero movies are much more prevalent nowadays and there's probably a better chance that people know about The Rocketeer as a character, but considering that even the widely recognized "Green Lantern" lost a ton of money, is throwing such an obscure superhero out there such a good idea?

Here's the trailer for the original movie, featuring tremendously outdated special effects, and an appearance from Terry O'Quinn, aka Locke from "Lost":