Neill Blomkamp to Direct RoboCop Returns

Posted by on July 11th, 2018   Filed under: Action, Sci-fi
Source: Deadline

robocopreturns

At the beginning of the year, we heard fairly reliable rumours that MGM was developing a new RoboCop movie but that it wouldn’t be a follow-up to the 2014 reboot starring Joel Kinnaman. Instead, they were planning a continuation of the original 1987 film, an increasingly common strategy being used on movies like David Gordon Green’s upcoming Halloween and the next Terminator movie. Well, this week MGM has officially announced the movie and they’ve got an intriguing (albeit somewhat divisive) sci-fi director lined up to direct. Hit the jump for the full scoop.

According to Deadline, Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) has signed on to direct RoboCop Returns for MGM. The project will be based on a sequel script that original writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner pitched back in the ’80s but never came to fruition. The duo are producing and executive producing, respectively, while Justin Rhodes will rewrite the script (who incidentally co-wrote Tim Miller’s upcoming Terminator movie). Blomkamp had this to say about the project:

“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.”

Blomkamp had previously been working on an Alien sequel called Alien: Awakening but it was killed in favour of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus follow-up Alien: Covenant. Now he will get another chance to play in the sandbox of an iconic sci-fi franchise. Are you psyched for RoboCop Returns?



  • m s

    I think this is a perfect fit. I have no idea why people don’t like Blomkamp…I also want another bet between the film Junk crew on whether or not the suit will be CG or not.

  • john collins

    Shame the Alien thing never happened but he is even better suited to Robocop. I think he’ll make a better fist than the dull kinnaman effort

  • Claudio

    No way it will be CG. He’s a human in a suit and not a giant movie monster.

  • Matt the Kiwi

    He knows how to make extreme violence funny so he’s definitely the man for the job. Already excited for this but so much of it will now rely on getting the casting right.

  • Lior

    Robocop is such an iconic film because of the cultural connection to the time period it was made in and the extreme sensibilities of its director. So it can never really be remade or copied. You can keep the core idea about a robotic cop but it would not have the soul. The sequels were not great and I never bothered with the reboot.

    Blomkamp’s only really good film is District 9 (haven’t seen his shorts). His output has been rather disappointing since then. Maybe he should team up with Peter Jackson again and make the Halo film.