There had been a lot of excitement surrounding the
RoboCop sequel, especially with
District 9 director Neill Blomkamp at the helm of the movie, which is set to serve as a direct follow-up to the first instalment. It was at the end of June that he told fans on social media that the "script is being written" and that things were "going well," while he also confirmed that the original, clunky suit would make its return.
Well, things have now changed dramatically. The filmmaker has taken to Twitter to confirm that he's no longer going to direct
RoboCop because he's currently shooting a horror/thriller movie, which means he won't be able to work to the schedule MGM wants.
It's surprising that the studio would let him go at this stage because they're anxious to start shooting the movie, but there's probably a predictably boring reason to blame like them wanting to get it in theaters for a certain date so they can hit certain targets with box office receipts. Either way, this is a blow to the project and it's hard to imagine MGM finding someone equally as passionate.
Check out Blomkamp's message to fans below: