RoboCop refuses to deactivate and will instead get an Amazon-backed TV series with James Wan set as producer
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RoboCop might have struggled to get another big-screen installment off the ground for years, but the IP is far from dead. Last year, RoboCop: Rogue City wowed us with a pretty freakin' solid AA experience, and now Amazon plans to make good use of the IP after acquiring MGM's entire library.
Via Variety, we've learned that Amazon is rapidly moving forward with a RoboCop TV series to be helmed by Peter Ocko, who has written for shows like Dinosaurs, Black Sails, and The Office over the years.
On top of Ocko - who's locked to serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner - James Wan, the prolific horror and action blockbuster director now eyeing a Creature from the Black Lagoon reboot, is set to executive produce under his Atomic Monster banner.
Variety also shared the current official logline for the series, which states the following: "A giant tech conglomerate collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crime — a police officer who’s part man, part machine." No surprises here.
Perhaps the most interesting bit here is Ocko's involvement. His CV is nothing short of impressive, and his work on Dinosaurs, a profoundly satirical show with one of the wildest endings in TV history, feels pitch perfect going into a new riff on Paul Verhoeven's original movie. While the 2014 reboot movie by José Padilha wasn't entirely dreadful, it lacked much of the bite that's automatically associated to the original iteration of the character and Detroit.
If RoboCop's car doesn't hit too many road bumps, we could be looking at casting news coming in at some point during 2025. It'll be interesting to see who lands the role of Alex Murphy this time around; Peter Weller's performance is still damn iconic, but I personally don't think Joel Kinnaman did too bad of a job with what he was given in the reboot.