Yesterday we passed along the epic news that director Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9) is developing a new installment in the ROBOCOP series along with MGM. Not only that, but evidently this new film is the TRUE sequel to ROBOCOP we were always supposed to get – but never did! It's called ROBOCOP RETURNS and Blomkamp jumped at the chance to do a ROBOCOP that harkens back to and picks up the storyline from the original film.
But will the studio allow Blomkamp to keep his R rated sensibility and deliver us a REAL true sequel to Paul Verhoeven's insanely violent original film? Looks like they will as Blomkamp responded to a fans question about just that – and more- over on Twitter.
Sweet! I'd buy that for a dollar! … I know that doesn't quite make any sense in this context, but I've been looking for a way to work that line into one of these ROBOCOP RETURNS articles since yesterday. And that one wasn't so great. Oh, well.
Anyhow, it is awesome to know that Blomkamp will not be holding back when it comes to giving us the all-new adventures of the robot cop and his testicle-blasting quest for justice across Detroit. How excited are you to know that ROBOCOP RETURNS will be rated R? Let us know below!
Blomkamp on ROBOCOP RETURNS:
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.
Original writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner are producing and exec producing and Justin Rhodes (the new TERMINATOR flick) will rewrite the script that Neumeier and Miner wrote years ago. We'll keep up-to-date on any and all news we hear regarding this new flick so make sure to keep checking back with us here at AITH. Stay tuned!