Wednesday, February 1, 2012

MGM Gears Up For "RoboCop"

According to reports, MGM's upcoming "RoboCop" reboot, to be directed by José Padilha, is moving forward with a new screenplay by Nick Schenk ("Gran Torino"), targeting a Summer 2012 start.

"I have my take on it," said Padilha. "How do you slowly bring a guy to be a robot? How do you actually take humanity out of someone and how do you program a brain, so to speak, and how does that affect an individual?"

Padilha wants actor Michael Fassbender ("X-Men: First Class") to play "Murphy', aka 'RoboCop'.

Padilha said the new film will be set in Detroit, as in director Paul Verhoeven's 1987 original feature "RoboCop".

The first "RoboCop" feature, budgeted at $13 million, directed by Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct"), was written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner.

Set in a crime-ridden Detroit of the future, "RoboCop" followed a straight-shooting police officer who is killed in the line of duty, then resurrected as a super-human cyborg.

The film starred Peter Weller as officer 'Alex Murphy' aka 'RoboCop', Nancy Allen as 'Officer Anne Lewis', Ronny Cox as 'Omni Consumer products' Vice President 'Richard "Dick" Jones', Kurtwood Smith ("That 70's Show") as 'Clarence Boddicker' and Miguel Ferrer as 'OCP' Executive 'Robert "Bob" Morton'.

In addition to being a satirical action film, "RoboCop" includes larger themes regarding the media, gentrification and corruption.

The film spawned merchandise, two sequels, a television series, two animated TV series, a television mini-series, video games and comic book adaptations.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "RoboCop"...