The RoboCop franchise kicked off in 1987, and while neither the sequels nor 2014's reboot managed to live up to that cult classic, interest in the franchise among fans remains high. The gloriously ultraviolent RoboCop: Rogue City video game is proof of that!
Today, Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) brings word that Amazon MGM Studios' planned TV series is taking shape with the addition of Peter Ocko (Lodge 49) as writer, executive producer and showrunner on the "potential" series.
Aquaman and The Conjuring helmer James Wan is also on board to executive produce. Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, and Danielle Bozzone will be overseeing the show on behalf of Wan's Atomic Monster banner.
According to the trade, "The series will follow the premise of the films, focusing on a giant tech conglomerate which 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."
When Amazon acquired MGM, RoboCop was among the first titles they identified as having potential as a TV series. Others in the works include Legally Blonde, Poltergeist, and Barbershop.
When MGM, one of Hollywood's oldest movie studios, fell under the Amazon banner, most assumed it would only be a matter of time before many of its biggest franchises became streaming fare and, well, here we are.
A few years ago, District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was planning a big screen RoboCop sequel titled RoboCop Returns. The movie fell apart but the plan had been to ignore the original sequels which received a mixed response from fans at the time.
"That’s the only film that I would have ever done where I would have tried to basically simulate Paul Verhoeven’s directing style," the filmmaker explained. "I wanted it to feel like it was the day after. Like if Dick Jones fell out of the window on Monday, this would have been Tuesday. It was like literally the next morning that it began. So it was a direct sequel exactly in the same style."
It looks like RoboCop is now destined for the small screen, though there's always a chance the character will eventually get another chance in theaters. For now, we'd imagine Amazon is banking on this being an R-Rated success in the same vein as The Boys.
As always, keep checking back here for the latest updates on this planned RoboCop TV series as we have them.