Stevens, Bilson, De Meo, and Dear began to pitch "The Rocketeer" in 1986 to the major film studios but were turned down. "This was 1986, long before "Batman" or "Dick Tracy" or anything similar", Stevens explained. "In those days, no studio was interested at all in an expensive comic book movie. We got there about three years too early for our own good!" Walt Disney Studios eventually accepted "The Rocketeer" because they believed the film had toyetic potential and appeal for merchandising. "The Rocketeer" was set to be released through the studio's Touchstone Pictures label; Stevens, Bilson, De Meo, and Dear all signed a contract which would permit them to make a trilogy of "Rocketeer" films. However, Disney studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg switched the film to a Walt Disney Pictures release. According to Stevens, "immediately, Betty and anything else 'adult' went right out with the bathwater. They really tried to shoehorn it into a kiddie property so they could sell toys. All they really wanted at the end of the day, was the name".