New Robocop Joel Kinnaman Says Remake Will Be More Serious And Gritty
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A few days ago, Sony released a first look at the new Robocop remake in a viral campaign highlighting the terrifying ED-209. This first look led many to believe that the new Robocop film would be more grounded and realistic than Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 film.
In an interview, the man inside of the robotic armor affirms the idea of a grittier version of Robocop. Actor Joel Kinnaman (AMC’s The Killing), while on a press tour for his new film Easy Money, talks about his training to play Alex Murphy and Robocop, what it feels like to dawn the Robocop suit and director’s José Padilha’s vision for Robocop.
Kinnaman is currently in an extensive training to play Robocop. The Swedish-American actor is working with Scotty Reitzon, the author of “The Art of Modern Gunfighting” and a 30-year veteran of the LAPD SWAT team, on his gunplay and control. For his role, Kinnaman will have to play both police officer Alex Murphy and then the resurrected Robocop, which will take a higher level of physical conditioning. Kinnaman has to pull off both if he hopes to make Robocop a successful film.
Prior to his training, Kinnaman talks about getting fitted for the Robocop suit and how he needs to maintain his body to move properly. Going through a Navy SEAL-type training will only help Kinnaman. He confesses…
“I can’t gain that much weight, because they already took measurements for the suit,” he continued. “It would be very snug if I gained too much. I mean, I gained a bit because I’m getting strong and working on balance, and doing boxing and martial arts, but it’s more about finding a center where I can be in control of my body and open up my movement. So I need to be in very good shape for that.”
Director José Padilha is not really well known in the US but his track record in his native Brazil is impressive. His films have a violent and hard-hitting tone, which would translate easily to Robocop. Kinnaman is a big fan of the Brazilian director and looks forward to working with him. Kinnaman reveals…
“José [Padilha] is an actor’s director,” Kinnaman said. “When I met with him, I was already a big fan of his because of ‘Elite Squad,’ but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the remake would be like. It could go any number of ways. But when I heard his version, his take, I knew it would be realistic. It would be grounded. If you look at his movies, they’re serious and gritty, so it will have that quality, but it won’t be deadly serious. It will have a satirical quality, and it will have throwbacks to the original. It’s going to have that wink in the eye, but we’re not looking to replicate the Verhoeven tone.”
The Elite Squad series are some of the best action films of the past decade. If Padilha could combine his gritty Brazilian action style with an American entertainment sensibility then the Robocop remake could achieve something vastly different from Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 film.
