Disney is in an interesting position as far as blockbuster superhero movies go. They have the Marvel Studios films all snatched up, essentially a license to print money these days, but they don’t have their own superheroes to compete in the marketplace. Or rather, they do, but they’re generally older films that didn’t make much of an impact when they were first released. Case in point, The Rocketeer, a classic film that underwhelmed at the box office when it came out in 1991. Case even more in point, Condorman, another superhero movie about a guy who could fly, which made even less of an impression when it was released in 1981.
A Rocketeer remake is already in the works. Today, it appears the same holds true for Condorman, even though we are decidedly hazy about who demanded it. Condorman starred Michael Crawford (of Phantom of the Opera fame) as a comic book artist who dresses up as his own creation after he’s swept up in an international espionage plot. Barbara Carrera (Never Say Never Again) plays his KGB love interest and the great Oliver Reed (Gladiator, The Three Musketeers) plays the villainous Krokov.
MovieHole reports that Condorman is being prepped for a new motion picture remake, with Robert Pattinson being considered for the lead role. Their unnamed source claims that “The idea remains the same […] Still a pompous cartoonist turned superhero type gets to assist in the deflection [sic] of a sexy young KGB agent. Emphasis would be more on action this time around though. They want to steer as far off from Johnny English territory as possible. But there’s talk of doing lots with the Condorman brand.”
There is also talk, according to this source, of possibly folding Condorman into the Marvel Universe itself, but only after a solo origin movie. We’re not sure that’s such a good idea, since Marvel fans would worry about studio interference with Marvel’s creative properties, but it wouldn’t be the first time such a thing has happened. DC Comics folded existing superhero characters into their universe with the Charlton heroes (The Question and Blue Beetle among them), as well as Quality Comics heroes like The Phantom Lady and Plastic Man. And that worked out more or less okay.
But remaking Condorman seems like a stretch to us since, moreso than The Rocketeer, the film has languished in obscurity for over three decades. There’s a small cult following, but we emphasize the word “small.” At this point, Disney would likely be better off coming up with new, original superheroes to compete with or add to their Marvel staple, since name brand recognition isn’t going to help as far as Condorman‘s marketing is concerned.
CraveOnline will be back with more Condorman news after we get over his ridiculous costume.
