10 Movies Inspired By Things NOBODY Expected

The casual observer couldn't really be blamed for assuming that 1987's sci-fi satire RoboCop was based on, say, a comic book, especially considering the film's larger-than-life, unwaveringly pulpy vibe, as well as the fact Batman and Daredevil maestro Frank Miller was involved in sequels RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 as a screenwriter.

But RoboCop was actually an entirely original script penned by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, from an idea thought up by Neumeier.

Neumeier found inspiration in a most unexpected avenue, though, while working on the set of a little sci-fi movie called Blade Runner.

In a 2014 interview with The Dissolve, Neumeier stated that in 1981 he was working for Warner Bros. as a script reader, all while Ridley Scott was shooting Blade Runner next door.

And so after clocking out of his day job at Warner Bros., Neumeier started visiting the Blade Runner set where he began working as an unofficial, unpaid employee, helping the art department create garbage for street scenes.

At the end of his fourth night on set, a sleep-deprived Neumeier had the word "RoboCop" pop into his head, as well as the basic design idea of the character as a "bluish armored thing."

So in an indirect way, RoboCop is just another sci-fi masterpiece we can thank Ridley Scott for.