Giant Freakin Robot

The RoboCop remake already had an uphill battle before it, between fans decrying it as unnecessary, scathing script reviews, and rumors that director Jose Padilha had described the project as “hell,” so it really could have used something cool to win over dubious fans. Unfortunately, when set photos gave everyone a first look at the redesigned RoboCop suit, responses ranged from the furious to the disinterested. Now more set photos have leaked, and they’re not likely to win the remake any new fans.

Now that Total Recall has come and gone, the next big controversial SF remake on the horizon is RoboCop. It isn’t set to arrive until next August, but it’s already been a roller coaster of rumors and speculation. Other than casting, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the direction the remake is taking. One big question just received a definitive answer, however. What will the new RoboCop look like? See for yourself:

The remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic RoboCop is coming to a theater near you in 2013. Brazilian director Jose Padilha is tasked to update the gritty crime film as MGM and Columbia released an official synopsis that sheds more light on what the remake has in store for modern audiences.

The production of RoboCop will start on September 15th, but tales of Padilha’s objections to working with the Hollywood movie studio has surfaced on the Internet. Recently, the director has taken back his words and now affirms he is happy to be making the remake to RoboCop. MGM and Columbia’s official synopsis gives more information about the modern war angle the new film will take. Read the official synopsis below:

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.

A few weeks ago it was widely reported that Jose Padihla, the director of MGM’s RoboCop remake, was unhappy on the project. In fact, a friend, City of God helmer Fernando Meirelles, let it slip that Padhila had said working on the reboot of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic was “hell.” As it turns out, those claims may have been a bit overstated.

Quotes like that should always be taken with a grain of salt, and when Padilha spoke to a Brazilian newspaper he said:

I have a script I’m happy with and I got the cast I have picked. The director of photography is Lula Carvalho, my editor is Daniel Rezende (City of God, Elite Squad, The Tree of Life). I was even consulted for the selection of the producers.

When asked about some of the much-publicized issues about RoboCop, which hasn’t yet started filming, Padilha went on to say, “We deal with those difficulties with coolness and familiarity.” Some of these troubles include the loss of actor Hugh Laurie (House), who was supposed to play the primary villain (he was subsequently replaced by Michael Keaton), and a very public evisceration of the script.