RoboCop is still alive and well in the hearts of horror enthusiasts after 34 years. Paul Verhoeven’s iconic work produced two sequels in 1993 and 1994, a television series in 1994, a miniseries in 2001, and animated spin-offs in 1988, among other things. There were also comic books, theme park rides, and video games available.
A revival of the original classic starring Joel Kinnaman as RoboCop was released in 2014, however as you know, my friends, “lightning never strikes twice.” None of the sequels or reboots were able to elicit the same level of enthusiasm from the audience as the initial film. Let’s take a look back at some of the RoboCop’s most memorable moments. If you’ve forgotten about the RoboCop films, we’ve put together a video that explains the storylines of all four RoboCop feature films. Please have a look at these.
RoboCop was the first film to modernise movie robots. Despite being influenced by films such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Metropolis,” the RoboCop seemed inhuman but kept Alex Murphy’s soul. At the same time, his memories were hazy at first when he was slain and resurrected as a cyborg, but they grew stronger as the film progressed. You can tell right away that this isn’t your typical action movie.
“The movie was a satire encased in an appealing genre wrapper,” Edward Neumeier correctly stated. It takes a lot of work to emphasise contemporary cultural concepts in an action picture, but RoboCop did it brilliantly. The film also depicted the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. “You can’t have Christ come back without the crucifixion,” Verhoeven said of Murphy’s death’s hyper-violent scenario.
The shotgun explosion that killed Murphy’s hand represented the nails in the palm of the Lord Jesus Christ, and many other elements represented his metamorphosis into the genuine Savior. He had a heart beneath the robotic outfit, displaying his loyal conscience and love for his wife and children. RoboCop was a powerful action hero who was also susceptible like any other human. That is what had endeared him to the public for decades.
Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, the original screenwriters of “RoboCop,” revealed in 2018 that they will be presenting a direct sequel to their first hit named “RoboCop Returns,” based on the script they developed in the 1980s. There has been a surge of interest among fans regarding the cast, crew, release date, and other unknown information since the announcement.
Considering the history of “RoboCop” in the world of film, we are not underestimating the future of “RoboCop Returns,” even though the track record of extremely late sequels is far from promising, such as the destiny of “Blade Runner 2049” and “Terminator: Dark Fate” failing terribly..
Why did the last RoboCop movie fail?
Though reboots and remakes have grown increasingly popular in recent years, it is clear that they are scrutinised closely in comparison to the original. We rarely find remakes or reboots that havemanaged to lightthe unique spark of the original films and thatis precisely what happened with the new RoboCop. Joel Kinnaman said, “What I feel like the whole movie didn’t take into account is what the fans loved about the original RoboCop.
And you have to pay homage to that. And I think the producers and filmmakers, and me included, didn’t really understand how to do that in the right way. I think it’s a really solid movie; it just didn’t fit the RoboCop concept.” Kinnaman also added that in his first interview for the RoboCop, he was asked whether it would be R-rated, and he had replied that only an idiot would make RoboCop a PG-13 film.
The following day, he woke up to 47 missed calls; RoboCop had been released with a PG-13 rating. The responses of the critics were mixed, though there was unanimous praise for the performance of Joel Kinnaman and the remaining stars. Most critics shared the same opinion as Kinnaman that the new director, Jose Padilha, didn’t really understand what had made RoboCop so special.
Who will Direct RoboCop Returns?
So, who will helm the highly awaited sci-fi sequel? In July 2018, writer-director Neil Blomkamp, renowned for “District 9,” “Elysium,” and “Chappie,” was announced as the upcoming film’s director. He was known to be attached to reboots of famous science-fiction films. He chose Justin Rhodes as the screenwriter, known for co-writing Tim Miller’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.
Blomkamp remained attached till August 2019, when he announced that he was leaving the project. After Blomkamp left the project, everyone thought that the project would eventually fade out. Fortunately, the “RoboCop Returns” project was saved, as Little Monster director Abe Forsythe joined as the director. After joining, the new director looks at the script and decides whether there should be any change in the writing or tocompletely discard it and start with a new script.
Following in the footsteps of the iconic masterpiece, Neumeier intended “RoboCop Returns” to be R-rated, humorous, and sarcastic. Hence, Ed Neumeier is working on his script with Forsythe and rewriting the script written by Rhodes and Blomkamp. Though it is not known how many alterations will be made by the new director or whether there will be any changes at all, reporters did confirm that Forsythe is determined to put his own stamp on the upcoming film.
Story Of The Movie And Where It Sits In The Timeline
The good news is that “RoboCop Returns” will be a straight sequel to Verhoeven’s original, portraying it as a continuation of the groundbreaking feature. That is why Blomkamp had been working on a script written by Neumeier and Miner, intended to be the actual sequel that was never created.
Neumeier had explained that at that time, Verhoeven was not interested in making the sequel of the film, even if the script was ready. Then in 1988, there was a writer’s strike as they wereforced Majeure offfrom the project. After that, Frank Miller was involved in the project, who wrote the draft of “RoboCop 2” along with Walon Green and got the film directed by Irvin Kershner.
According to speculations, the plot of “RoboCop Returns” would once again concentrate on Detroit, with the city seeing an increase in crime and chaos. In the middle of the city’s uncontrolled chaos, RoboCop would return to prevent the city from deteriorating further.
The role of Omni Consumer Products is unknown, whether this mega-corporation will still control RoboCop like it did in the first film. Alex Murphy had been seen reasserting humanity in the last film. So, whether the RoboCop will be under the influence of programming or his human instincts will guide him, is the biggest question in the minds of the eager fans.
Another question that pops into the fan’s mind is whether the controversial topic of modern militarized police will be brought to the forefront and tackled. It will be interesting to watch whether the unsolved topics of the former film will be explored in the follow-up.
Until now, nothing has been ascertainedabout the plot, but it is assumed that the director would keep in mind the modern audience who might not be acquainted with the time frame of the first RoboCop. Neumeier is a little doubtful whether people would accept the satirical version of RoboCop even after 34 years. Let us hope for the best and expect toview our beloved RoboCop in the way we wanted.
Is Peter Weller Returning as Murphy in RoboCop Returns?
Though filmmaker Paul Verhoeven deserves the most of the credit for establishing RoboCop’s legend, Peter Weller’s performance as the RoboCop is as impressive. During the filming of RoboCop, he faced several challenges. It is heard, he was losing three pounds of weight per day, as he used to sweat a lot inside the RoboCop suit. Now, the question is, will Peter Weller reprise his role as the RoboCop?
The fans are quite excited about the thought of getting Weller back in the project, although the last time Weller starred as the RoboCop was in “RoboCop 2”, released in 1990. Robert John Burke featured as RoboCop in “RoboCop 3”, released in 1993, while Joel Kinnaman took the role in the 2014 reboot. Peter Weller continues acting even though he is almost 74 years old. Blomkamp claimed that he would bring back Weller to honor the legacy of the film.
After Blomkamp left the project, Forsythe made no comments about who will be the most anticipated RoboCop. Since “RoboCop Returns” will be another R-rated, blood-soaked, violent sequel, it might be difficult for Weller to pull off the role.
The heart-breaking news is; Peter Weller had said that he is not ready to reprise the role of RoboCop, though he appeared as RoboCop in a KFC advertisement campaign in 2019. So, let us not lose hope, and he might just change his mind and reconsider a comeback as RoboCop. At the same time, the announcement of the other actors and actresses participating in “RoboCop Returns” is yet to come. We are waiting!
The Original Silver Suit from the 1987 Movie is Back
Although it is unclear if Peter Weller will feature in RoboCop, the original costume he wore will undoubtedly return. If the performers, scenery, and costumes return, the sequels retain a high level of continuity. The directors of “RoboCop Returns” intend to do justice to the classic. RoboCop fans were quite unhappy with the new suit RoboCop wore in the remake.
The original RoboCop suit was designed by Rob Bottin and his team. He kept adding additions and alterations but was not happy with the result. So, they decided to stick with the original design. It took 11 hours for the crew to fit Peter Weller into the RoboCop suit, while Weller had to take special training to move in the suit before the shooting started.
Now you understand that the legacy of the RoboCop suit designed by Rob Bottin is as dear to the fans as RoboCop himself. When a fan had previously asked involved director Blomkamp about the original suit being used in the project, he had said, “1 million % original”. From that moment onwards, the fans are genuinely excited to watch their RoboCop in the original suit.
Does RoboCop Returns have a Release Date?
The release date for “RoboCop Returns” has not yet been confirmed. The COVID-19 epidemic is thought to have played a role in the film’s protracted delay. Most of the film’s productions had halted for the pandemic, and those which have started are running late or are facing lots of challenges.
Thus, even if we assume that the production starts in 2021 after the pandemic situation hasbeen normalized to some extent, it is expected that we will not see “RoboCop Returns”till 2022. Possibly even that is an optimistic assumption, but hopefully, we willget a piece of confirmed news about the facts of the movie soon.