Last month it was revealed that MGM was developing a new installment of the ROBOCOP franchise. The upcoming film is be helmed by Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9) from a script by Justin Rhodes who will be rewriting a screenplay which original ROBOCOP writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner had penned decades ago. Titled ROBOCOP RETURNS, the belated sequel will pick up the story-line from the original film as it finds anarchy reigning and the fate of Detroit hanging in the balance, but thankfully Robocop will be making a triumphant return in order to fight crime and corruption.
If ROBOCOP RETURNS were another remake, you could assume that MGM and Neill Blomkamp would be looking to cast a new actor in the role of Officer Alex Murphy aka Robocop, but as the project will be a direct sequel to Paul Verhoeven's 1987 original, there's a chance that Peter Weller could return to play the role once again. Earlier today Neill Blomkamp was asked who should play Robocop in the upcoming sequel, and the director had just one answer.
Of course this doesn't actually mean that Peter Weller really will return to play Robocop, but I wouldn't be surprised if Neill Blomkamp doesn't try to get him involved on some level, especially as the director is a huge fan of the original. "The original definitely had a massive effect on me as a kid," Blomkamp said when the news was first announced. "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." Blomkamp continued:
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.
Would you like to see Peter Weller return to play Robocop or should a new actor take on the role?