Mattson Tomlin, the screenwriter who did uncredited work on Matt Reeves’s The Batman, is now a co-writer on the sequel with Reeves. You could say that he has plenty on his plate, but he still found time to pitch a live-action superhero movie revival to Disney last year. He took to X to reveal that he had pitched a sequel to the ’90s movie, The Rocketeer.
He shared that he and director J.D. Dillard had pitched the project, which never got off the ground. According to Tomlin, the pitch unfolded “in realtime,” a tight thriller he described as “100 harrowing minutes” built around the crazy premise of the original.
He further shared that the movie would’ve “really leaned into how viscerally insane it is to strap yourself to a rocket and save the world from fascists.” However, Disney passed on this premise, and Tomlin noted that he was “bummed it won’t see the light of day.”
Pitched a sequel with my pal JD Dillard to Disney last year that took place in realtime. 100 harrowing minutes that would have really leaned into how viscerally insane it is to strap yourself to a rocket and save the world from fascists. Bummed it won’t see the light of day. https://t.co/TxYNSNZuwg
— mattson tomlin (@mattsontomlin) June 22, 2026
The pitch would have revived a property that has sat dormant on the big screen for over three decades. The Rocketeer is a beloved cult hit that many don’t even know about. A sequel could’ve brought back attention to this overlooked superhero, but it was shut down before it could ever take flight.
Why The Rocketeer Failed at the Box Office Despite Positive Reviews
The Rocketeer was Joe Johnston’s second movie after the wildly successful Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It was based on Dave Stevens’ indie comics of 1982. The movie was released on June 21, 1991, and was received with warm reviews. The praise for the movie was directed at the pulpy sci-fi elements, the throwback charm, and most importantly, the now-iconic score by James Horner.
The movie explored the adventures of stunt pilot Cliff Secord, played by Billy Campbell, who finds a stolen jetpack and battles Nazis in 1938 Los Angeles. It also had a fun history element as the stolen jetpack belonged to Howard Hughes, the real-life aviator. Jennifer Connelly played Cliff’s love interest, and Timothy Dalton played the villain.
| The Rocketeer (1991) | Details |
| Director | Joe Johnston |
| Cast | Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, and Tiny Ron Taylor |
| Based on | The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens |
| Production | Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures |
| Box Office | $46.7 million (U.S) (via Box Office Mojo) |
| RT Score (As of June 23, 2026) | 73% | 65% |
| IMDb Score (As of June 23, 2026) | 6.6/10 |
The math was unfortunately never in favor of this movie. The movie had a production cost of $35 million, and it incurred hefty marketing costs. However, it opened to just $9.6 million and landed fourth, behind Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, City Slickers, and Dying Young (via Forbes). From there, it limped to $46.7 million domestically.
The numbers forced Disney to cancel plans for a sequel. The movie didn’t stand a chance against the plethora of factors that stood against it. The summer of 1991 was brutally competitive, soon to be dominated by Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The superhero genre hadn’t yet exploded, and a PG-rated period throwback with no major stars was a tough sell.
Ironically, Johnston later channeled the same retro-heroic premise into a far bigger movie two decades later. This time, he had the backing of a major studio and a promising star in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
The Rocketeer Was Revived Briefly on Disney Junior in 2019
The big screen may have abandoned the Rocketeer, but Disney didn’t forget the character entirely. They released an animated reboot on Disney Junior in 2019, but longtime fans weren’t big fans of this new format. Aimed at kids aged below 7, the TV show reimagined the hero as Kit Secord, the great-granddaughter of the original jetpacking hero.
Voiced by Kitana Turnbull, Kit inherits the rocket pack and secret identity. In a nice touch of continuity, Billy Campbell joined the voice cast as Kit’s father, Dave. Produced by Wild Canary, each episode paired two 11-minute stories with an original song, leaning into a girl-powered adventure format.
It turned out to be too niche a reinvention that it didn’t last long. The show was canceled after a single season, failing to catch on with its preschool target audience. The animated series wasn’t the only attempted comeback, either. A live-action reboot, The Return of the Rocketeer, was developed with David Oyelowo producing and J.D. Dillard attached to direct, before it too stalled.
What do you think of Mattson Tomlin’s pitch for The Rocketeer reboot? Let us know in the comments below!
Both the movie and the show are now available for streaming on Disney+.
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