Vulture's "spies" have informed them that Disney's first project under new studio chief Alan Horn will be a new version of
The Rocketeer. The original 1991 movie was directed by
Captain America: The First Avenger helmer Joe Johnston, and - in a plot slightly similar to Disney/Marvel's
Iron Man franchise - dealt with a racing pilot named Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) who discovers a rocket-pack prototype in his stunt plane, and becomes a metal-mask wearing hero. Now the actual characters of Tony Stark and Secord are very different, and the period setting will also serve to distance both properties from each other, but it IS still curious that Disney would want to focus on this reboot given the face-value similarities sure to be perceived by the public.
The Rocketeer was also something of a Box Office failure, despite being loved by many CBM fans. The movie was based on a comic written by Dave Stevens, and published by the now defunct Pacific Comics in 1982.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.