MGM is moving forward with another installment in the ever-popular RoboCop franchise.
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According to Deadline, MGM has tapped District 9 director Neill Blomkamp to direct the new project, which is called RoboCop Returns. Original writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner are set to produce and executive produce the movie, respectively.
Justin Rhodes, who co-wrote Tim Miller’s upcoming Terminator movie, will re-write the script that was initially turned in by Neumeier and Miner. Their version of the movie was planned as a sequel to the original film, but it was never made.
This marks the first time that Neumeier and Miner have worked on the franchise since the initial film in 1987.
MGM attempted to revive RoboCop back in 2014, with Joel Kinnaman starring in a rebooted version of the franchise. That didn’t go over well at the domestic box office, and the film was largely panned by critics and fans alike. Despite the failure of that film, MGM clearly believes that a journey back to the franchise’s roots could be the right move to making the Robocop series relevant once again.
Deadline’s report also includes a short description of the plot for RoboCop Returns:
Anarchy reigns and the fate of Detroit hangs in the balance as RoboCop makes his triumphant return to fight crime and corruption.
After directing sci-fi films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, Blomkamp seems like the perfect fit for a RoboCop reboot.
“The original definitely had a massive effect on me as a kid,” Blomkamp told Deadline. “I loved it then and it remains a classic in the end of 20th Century sci-fi catalog, with real meaning under the surface. Hopefully that is something we can get closer to in making of a sequel. That is my goal here. What I connected to as a kid has evolved over time. At first, the consumerism, materialism and Reaganomics, that ’80s theme of America on steroids, came through most strongly. But As I’ve gotten older, the part that really resonated with me is identity, and the search for identity. As long as the human component is there, a good story can work in any time period, it’s not locked into a specific place in history. What’s so cool about RoboCop is that like good Westerns, sci-fi films and dramas, the human connection is really important to a story well told. What draws me now is someone searching for their lost identity, taken away at the hands of people who are benefiting from it, and seeing his memory jogged by events. That is most captivating. The other thing I am excited by is the chance to work again with Justin Rhodes. He has added elements that are pretty awesome, to a sequel that was set in the world of Verhoeven. This is a movie I would love to watch.”
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