Proving that Halloween isn’t the only film franchise capable of returning to its roots by seemingly disregarding reboots, MGM is ready to go ahead with RoboCop Returns. And much like Michael Myers’ next cinematic outing, we’ll soon see one of Detroit’s greatest protectors showcased in a flick serving as a sequel to the original (well, kind of). It’s confusing to moviegoers at large, sure, but I’ll take it.
In fact, this is something we first heard of months ago, so it’s nice seeing the studio hasn’t wasted much time when it comes to getting this bad boy off the ground. From what we understand, Neill Blomkamp (District 9) has been hired to direct, with original screenwriters Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner producing and executive producing, respectively.
Interestingly enough, this could’ve been the RoboCop 2 we got in theaters decades ago, but it simply wasn’t meant to be because, according to Neumeier, original director Paul Verhoeven “felt at the time that making [another] one would be de classe and he wasn’t interested in the politics of a sequel. Then, the writers strike came along in 1988 and we were force majeured off the project. They brought in Frank Miller on a waiver. He wrote a draft and then another with Walon Green, and it got made by Irvin Kershner, who directed The Empire Strikes Back. I went off and did Startship Troopers with Paul.”
As it turns out, Justin Rhodes, the very man responsible for penning the upcoming Terminator reboot, has been enlisted to rewrite Neumeier and Miner’s script from back in the day, so we expect for there to be somewhat of a modernization, as “anarchy reigns and the fate of Detroit hangs in the balance as RoboCop makes his triumphant return to fight crime and corruption.”
In Blomkamp’s words, “He (Rhodes) 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.”
Right now, there’s been no decision made as to who’ll play the titular character, but we’ll keep you posted as more info regarding RoboCop Returns make its way online.