I’m pretty sure I am not related to actor Bill Campbell, but I am sure that we think alike, at least when it comes to desires for a Rocketeer sequel. Campbell, who starred as the title character in Disney’s 1991 superhero adventure, tells MTV Movies Blog that he’s still interested in the idea of a Rocketeer 2:
“I was talking to [writer] Dave Stevens just the night before last. We always talked about having a sequel,” Campbell confessed. “[Unfortunately] the movie didn’t make as much money as Disney had hoped and that coupled with the acrimonious relationship that the director [Joe Johnston] and the studio had contributed to them not even considering it.”
Yes, like Timothy Dalton in that awesome clip above, The Rocketeer unfortunately crashed and burned. And considering its been almost 17 years since the first film and there’s been nothing to indicate the public is more interested in pulpy period superheroes than they were back then, Rocketeer 2 is never going to happen. Even if now Oscar-winning actors Jennifer Connelly and Alan Arkin and now Emmy-winning actor Terry O’Quinn (John Locke on Lost) wanted to return, I doubt Disney would even discuss the chance. But that’s a shame, because if I remember correctly (and I must admit I haven’t seen the thing since it came out — when I was a just a teen), the original was a blast. Anyway, I’d like the idea to at least be thought about. Hollywood is making another attempt at a Shadow movie after failing back in the ’90s, so why not this ’30s-era tale, too?