With MGM back on it’s feet after after it’s financial woes, the newly-restructured studio is planning to remake a number of classic movies. The first out of the gate – at least in terms of securing major talent, is the 1987 sci-fi action flick Robocop, directed by Paul Verhoeven. Rebooting the massively popular franchise has been a priority of the studio for years and the subject of much web chatter, at one point ‘Black Swan’ director Darren Aronofsky was set to helm the reboot until the studio’s money troubles. Last month’s decision to revisit classic flicks from the 80’s is also looking to include Poltergeist, Mr. Mom and The Idolmaker.
For some critics, remaking a defining sci-fi movie such as Robocop which combined over the top violence and clever social satire, is both unnecessary and something of a miscalculation. Though to others Robocop is a resilient story that lends itself to the undertones of social commentary, maximum escapist action and a showcase of future technology. An updating of the Robocop design would also be cool, not to mention a new line of malfunctioning ED-209 units.
MGM have now find their filmmaker to helm the reboot with the recent announcement that José Padilha is locked in to make the movie. The Brazilian director made a name for himself with his cop franchise Elite Squad which starred Wagner Moura, and went on to become the most successful films in Brazil’s history. The films tackled the nation’s crime wars and the special police squad created to take them down, and it’s thought that the director’s handling of this subject matter will be the right fit for a similarly themed future Detroit on the brink of social chaos, with the only solution being a privatized cyborg police force.
At a recent party after the Miami International Film Festival, the director confirmed the new film would be set in the same city:
It has to be in Detroit or they’d kill me.
Padilha will be working closely with screenwriter Josh Zetumer who was recently hired to pen the script. His credits includes working on a ‘Dune’ remake, a fourth installment of ‘The Bourne Identity’ that never eventuated, and most recently a supernatural action thriller for Warner Bros called ‘Vale’. Zetumer has also written ‘The Infiltrator’, which is set to star Leonardo DiCaprio and he was also brought onboard to rewrite ‘Quantum of Solace’ during filming.
Remaking a movie like Robocop is a no-brainer as it has instant branding and a fan base that will flock to see it. It will be interesting to see how the new filmmakers handle the themes of social in-balance, the influence of the media and the attempts to privatize law and order and how this all looks through the lens of sci-fi movie. It will be some time before the new Robocop arrives in cinemas, in the mean time fans should remember Robo’s cautionary advice…. ‘Stay out of trouble’.
Check out the original movie trailer here:
Comments are closed.