Neil Blomkamp Will Direct A New ROBOCOP Movie

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RoboCop is a franchise that has been around for a long time. A few years back an attempt to reboot the franchise happened with a José Padilha directed film starring Joel Kinnaman. But that movie failed to live up to expectations and the franchise was dead once again.

Now they are trying again. MGM has set Neil Blomkamp (District 9) to direct a brand new RoboCop movie.

Here is where it gets interesting though: Deadline reports that Justin Rhodes, who co-wrote the new Tim Miller Terminator movie, is going to write the movie. But it won’t be a wholly original script – it will be based off of a never produced sequel script to the original Paul Verhoeven movie. Original writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner will serve as producers on the new flick.

Those details are interesting for a few reasons. One, because they could be doing what Terminator is doing – making a “legacyquel” to the original. It could be in the same universe as the Verhoeven movie. On the other hand, it could also just be using the main plot ideas from that script, but adapting it to be the first chapter of a new series.

Blomkamp told Deadline:

“The original definitely had a massive effect on me as a kid. 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.”

It also could be something a bit more crazy than that. Shared universes are all the rage – could it be possible that the new RoboCop and the new Terminator have the same writer for a reason? What if those two franchises plan to crossover in the future?

While Paramount has the Terminator franchise, RoboCop has bounced around to many different studios, like Orion, Sony and now MGM. It is possible that two studios could co-produce a crossover. It has happened before, ages ago, in a video game for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo:

RoboCop Terminator

That is just me reaching, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it did happen eventually. I just want Blomkamp to make the strongest RoboCop movie possible, then later on down the road, if it serves the story, then sure, cross them over.

The only other thing I require from my RoboCop movies is that it is set in Detroit. RoboCop is nearly synonymous with Detroit, and I would like to keep it that way. I love seeing my home city on the big screen, especially if it can be in a positive light.

When we get more information RoboCop we will be sure to pass it along.

Source: Deadline

About Post Author

Matt Vernier

Lifelong geek who is passionate about movies. I review things on my blog: https://www.GeekyRegards.com. Find me on Twitter! @MattV525 - Inquiries: Mavern519@gmail.com

mavern519@gmail.com