Most fans of science fiction movies would love the chance to make a movie in one of the genres iconic franchises. South African director Neill Blomkamp, is no different. After his Aliens sequel lost out to Ridley Scott's plans for an expansive series of Alien prequels, Blomkamp has bounced back with the announcement from MGM (via Deadline) that he will be directing a sequel to RoboCop. The movie will not be a sequel to the ill-advised 2014 reboot which starred Joel Kinnaman, but rather a sequel to the 1987 original which was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The sequel, said to be titled RoboCop Returns, is based on the script for a sequel written by Neumeier and Miner that was never made. Speaking to Deadline Blomkamp commented:
“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.”
While it is possible that original Robocop Peter Weller could return as Alex Murphy using performance capture, until his return is confirmed we suspect the movie will use a new character in his place. According to Deadline, the new movie will see RoboCop return to fight crime and corruption as anarchy reigns over Detroit.
As mentioned in Blomkamp's statement screenwriter Justin Rhodes, who was part of the writer's group that worked on the script for the new Terminator movie currently filming in Spain, has been tasked with rewriting Neumeier and Miner's script, likely bringing it up to date, acknowledging 1990's RoboCop 2, and possibly replacing the character of Alex Murphy.
