According to Deadline, actor Hugh Laurie (House) has dropped out of the RoboCop remake and MGM is in talks with a small group of actors to replace him; most notably Children of Men’s Clive Owen. The news comes only two weeks after details of the film’s script hit Twitter to a mostly negative reception.
Laurie was rumored to play the villainous head of the research facility that creates the cybernetic police officer, but while he was in discussions for the part, nothing was concrete. There have been no details as to why he decided to end negotiations, but it may have something to do with the negative buzz on the Internet regarding the film’s script.
If Clive Owen nabs the part he’ll face-off against the film’s updated RoboCop, which comes to us in the form of Joel Kinnaman, who stars alongside Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, and Jackie Earle Haley.
I’ll admit it, I’m one of those people on the Internet who did not jump for joy after reading some of the film’s script details. Although, my concerns were alleviated by the knowledge that this remake has a lot of great talent involved and for now, I’m still hopeful that it will turn out alright.
Set to be directed by Elite Squad’s Jose Padilha, RoboCop is scheduled to hit theaters on August 9th, 2013.
Do you think Clive Owen is a good fit? Who would you want to replace Laurie? Let us know in the comments below.
