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Tag: robocop 2

  • New ‘RoboCop’ TV Series Reportedly Greenlit by Amazon

    'RoboCop' (2014). Photo: Sony Pictures.
    ‘RoboCop’ (2014). Photo: Sony Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Amazon has reportedly ordered a new ‘RoboCop’ series.
    • It’ll expand on the world of the 1987 movie.
    • Peter Ocko will write the initial script, with James Wan producing.

    It’s been a couple of years since we heard much about the developing new series based on 1987’s cyborg law enforcement thriller satire ‘RoboCop’.

    Now, via a profile of Amazon’s Head of Global Television, Peter Friedlander, word arrives that the company has greenlit the show.

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    Peter Ocko, whose TV CV includes work on shows such as ‘Dead Like Me’ and ‘Lodge 49’, is aboard to serve as executive producer on the series, while genre filmmaker James Wan will produce.

    Related Article: Neill Blomkamp Exits ‘Robocop’ Sequel to Work on New Horror Thriller

    What was the story of ‘RoboCop’?

    'RoboCop'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    ‘RoboCop’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    The movie franchise kicked off in 1987 with the first ‘Robocop’ film starring Peter Weller as the titular half man, half machine officer. Weller returned for the sequel in 1990, with Robert Burke taking over the role for ‘Robocop 3’ in 1993.

    A reboot starring Joel Kinnaman was released in 2014. There have also been multiple ‘Robocop’ TV shows since then, including two animated and two live-action shows, as well as video games and comic books.

    What will the new ‘RoboCop’ series be about?

    From the sounds of its official logline, the series will be following a familiar path: “A giant tech conglomerate collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crime — a police officer who’s part man, part machine.”

    Will we buy that for a dollar? It remains to be seen…

    'RoboCop'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    ‘RoboCop’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    Selected Movies and TV Shows in the ‘RoboCop’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘RoboCop’ Movies and TV on Amazon

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  • Neill Blomkamp Exits ‘Robocop’ Sequel to Work on New Horror Thriller

    Orion Pictures

    The “RoboCop” revival will have to go on without Neill Blomkamp.

    The “District 9” and “Chappie” direct had been attached to a sequel to the 1987 original, but has left the project due to scheduling issues.

    Original writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner wrote a sequel script to their 1987 film. “Robocop” director Paul Verhoeven was reportedly not interested, but Blomkamp took up the mantle.

    But on Twitter, Blomkamp revealed that he has exited the project to focus on a “new horror/thriller.” And unfortunately, MGM wasn’t willing to wait for him:

    https://twitter.com/NeillBlomkamp/status/1161887748535439360

    The original “Robocop” starred Peter Weller as a mortally injured police officer whose life is saved when he’s turned into a half-cyborg.  RoboCop fought crime in Detroit, though he was also plagued by memories of his previous married life.

    It was followed by two unmemorable sequels and then a reboot in 2014 with director Jose Padilla and star Joel Kinnaman. It didn’t catch on with audiences in the U.S. (though it did make $240 worldwide and performed well in China).

    When he first joined the sequel project, Blomkamp told Deadline that the story of “RoboCop” had a huge effect on his childhood and now what really resonates is the theme of “identity, and the search for identity.”

    He added, “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.”