As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, Amazon MGM Studios is officially moving forward with a new Robocop TV series (no, that's not a typo; the movie franchise used an uppercase C in RoboCop; this show is going with Robocop). Developed by Blumhouse Atomic Monster, the eight-episode series is being developed for Prime Video by showrunner Peter Ocko (Lodge 49).
James Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett will serve as Robocop's executive producers. The series was first announced three years ago, so a lot of time has since been devoted to making sure Amazon gets this reboot right.
Since its debut in 1987, Robocop has endured as one of the most iconic and culturally significant franchises in science fiction. What began as a bold social satire—blending visceral action with a critique of corporate greed, privatisation, and the nature of identity — has resonated across generations, spawning sequels, television series, video games and comic books.
As the official logline explains, "Its themes of humanity versus technology and the consequences of unchecked corporate power feel more relevant today than ever, making it the ideal property to reimagine for a new era of television."
Unfortunately, that's all we have in terms of "plot details." As of now, there's no word on whether we're getting another new take on Alex Murphy, a separate story in the same world, or a complete reimagining.
In 1987's RoboCop, Murphy is a cop who is murdered by a gang of criminals and revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as the cyborg law enforcer "RoboCop." Unaware of his former life, RoboCop executes a campaign against crime while coming to terms with the lingering fragments of his humanity. The co-creator and co-writer of that movie, Ed Neumeier, is also an executive producer.
Wan said today, "I’ve been a massive fan of RoboCop forever, so getting to help bring this world to television is a dream. What Paul Verhoeven created in 1987 was decades ahead of its time, and its questions about technology, identity, and who corporations really serve have only grown more urgent."
"With Peter’s distinctive vision and bold approach to storytelling, and alongside Ed and our partners at Amazon MGM Studios, we’re working to honour what made the original iconic and highlight its relevancy in this modern, tech-driven world, while building something unmistakably new for a global audience," the filmmaker added.
Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios, said, "Robocop is a franchise that has meant something to audiences for nearly four decades — not just as an action spectacle, but as a sharp, provocative mirror of our relationship with technology and power."
"Peter Ocko has crafted a vision that honours the soul of what made the original so enduring while building something entirely fresh and urgent for today," he continued. "Paired with the cinematic sensibility of James Wan and the team at Blumhouse Atomic Monster, we believe this series will captivate a whole new generation of fans on Prime Video."
RoboCop spawned two sequels, an animated series, and even a couple of live-action takes on the property for television. The franchise was rebooted with limited success in 2014 with the Joel Kinnaman-led movie.
Grossing $242.6 million on a reported $130 million budget, it received mixed reviews (50% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the franchise was shelved until 2023's well-received RoboCop: Rogue City video game. That was set in the same world as the movies led by Peter Weller.
Stay tuned for more on this fresh take on Robocop as we have it.