Now that MGM have their house in order, movement on a new
Robocop movie can finally get under-way.
Deadline report tonight that Brazilian director
Joe Padilha is in talks to helm the long-gestated reboot of the 1987 Paul Verhoeven film, a name that probably won't be all that familiar in the Western world, but he did direct the drug-trade crime thrillers Elite Squad 1 & 2 which have taken off in his own country (it's made more money there than Avatar did) and clearly impressed Hollywood (Elite Squad 2 blew people away at Sundance). If a deal comes off, it will be a surprising and unusual choice but one that is very welcomed and further proves after the stature of previous director Darren Aronofsky (who moved on after MGM's financial collapse) that the studio are serious about a franchise reboot with an edge to it. I mean Padilha is a million miles away from the Brett Ratner's, McG's and Louis Leterrier's of this world who could have been involved if the studio had gone in an A-Team-style reboot direction. I'm certain you will have all seen Robocop but for those unfortunate of you that haven't - the franchise follows a near dead Detroit police officer who is drafted into becoming a powerful cyborg cop, memorably played by Peter Weller and the 1990 sequel. A further, much loathed third film followed, but it didn't stop Robocop, like the cyborg Terminator, becoming a popular figure of late 20th century pop-culture.
In 2007/8 director Darren Aronofsky was working on a MGM remake of Robocop that was due to be released last year (above is an official teaser poster that was mocked up to promote the film) and was to be set twenty years after the termination of the Robocop program and would by all intents exist both as a sequel and a reboot, but at this stage we have no idea what this new film has in store for us. Once Padilha's deal is sealed, a writer will be found to work closely with the director on shaping this reboot. Perhaps then, it could be one to film next year for a release in 2013?