THE SUICIDE SQUAD Star Joel Kinnaman On What Went Wrong With ROBOCOP And Inadvertently Angering Studio Bosses

2014's RoboCop disappointed fans of the franchise, and star Joel Kinnaman has shared his take on what went wrong, while revealing how some comments in an interview landed him in hot water with the studio.

By JoshWilding - Jan 25, 2021 07:01 AM EST

Filed Under: Robocop

2014's RoboCop reboot was by no means unwatchable, but it certainly didn't live up to the lofty expectations of fans. Ultimately, it took perhaps one too many liberties with the concept, while that PG-13 rating certainly didn't help (especially as the bloody violence of those early movies was a highlight).

Talking to The Playlist, Kinnaman acknowledged that RoboCop being his first blockbuster meant he didn't ask the questions he would today. He also recalled inadvertently upsetting studio bosses when he pointed out in an interview that it would be nuts to make a RoboCop movie that wasn't R-Rated.

"That was the first big movie I did," he says. "I had to quell all my instincts for everything over the course of that film. I’m like, ‘Why am I wearing a black suit? That doesn’t make any sense at all.’"

"The first interview I did for ‘RoboCop,’ and it was right after I was cast," The Suicide Squad star continues. "I got the first questions for ‘RoboCop,’ and the question was, ‘So, is it going to be R-rated?’ And I was like, ‘Of course, it’s going to be R-rated! Only an idiot would make “RoboCop” a PG-13 movie.’ Cut to the next morning - 47 missed calls I woke up to."

As for where the remake went wrong, Kinnaman added: "What I feel like the whole movie didn’t take into account is what the fans loved about [the original [‘RoboCop’]. And you have to pay homage to that. And I think the producers and the filmmakers and me included didn’t really understand how to do that in the right way. I think it’s a really solid movie, it just didn’t fit the ‘RoboCop’ concept."

Luckily, RoboCop didn't exactly derail Kinnaman's career, but the franchise has since been shelved. We've heard vague rumblings about a sequel to the original movies, but nothing has really materialised on that front (the same can be said about the rumoured TV show).

Kinnaman, meanwhile, doesn't sound overly keen to don that armour for any sort of follow-up!

Joel Kinnaman Says His ROBOCOP Reboot Should Have Channelled More Of This Element From The Original Film

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Neill Blomkamp On His ROBOCOP Movie That Would Have Started With The Final Scene From The 1987 Film

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54 Comments

1 2

regularmovieguy - 1/25/2021, 7:06 AM

I honestly kind of enjoyed the Robocop remake. It was fine. Should’ve been R-rated but it was better than I thought it would be.

Origame - 1/25/2021, 10:03 AM

@regularmovieguy - make it r and give him the silver suit they made for the movie anyway and it would've been much better received. I actually like the concept of how his humanity was seen as a selling point rather than something needed for it to work.

Scripturepoetic - 4/15/2023, 9:50 PM

@Origame -

With the recent announcement of RoboCop resurrecting back onto Collective Consciousness, maybe things can be set right

Origame - 4/15/2023, 10:01 PM

@Scripturepoetic - ...why are you here? It's been 2 years.

Scripturepoetic - 4/16/2023, 3:15 AM

@Origame -

I was tunneling through the convos related to the RoboCop brand

Less traffic, for sure, but all the threads have some insight that have relevance...

Even years after the original posts

DaHyro - 1/25/2021, 7:08 AM

I remember a friend of mine was an extra in this movie... you can see him for like, two seconds in a crowd.

Sucks that this is the only thing I remember about that movie

DannRamm113 - 1/25/2021, 7:11 AM

If the movie was made 5 years later, it probably would have been better. Could have made Michael Keaton more of the celebrity tech billionaire that Elon Musk had become in that time..

One of the best aspects of Robocop 1984 is the parody element, its take on capitalism, and this one touched on it barely via Sam Jacksons character, but it could have been so much more

Scripturepoetic - 4/15/2023, 9:24 PM

@DannRamm113 -

RoboCop (2014) is a guilty pleasure, and an exercise in unrealized potential

Curious to see where the upcoming production for the RoboCop brand will go

Ha1frican - 1/25/2021, 7:13 AM

I remember thinking it was fine but also dont remember it so 🤷🏽‍♂️

WruceBayne - 1/25/2021, 8:21 AM

@Ha1frican - I’ve seen this movie a handful of times and I don’t remember anything about it.

Reeds2Much - 1/25/2021, 7:13 AM

The whole "save his right hand so he can shake hands" plot point was goofier than everything in the previous trilogy, cartoon, and tv show combined.

BB8ANG - 1/25/2021, 7:14 AM

Decent movie imo. The scene where they reveal how much is left of him after the accident is honestly genius, just wish the rest of the movie was as memorable.

newhire13 - 1/25/2021, 6:49 PM

@Jahleel007 - Yes! The look of panic and anguish when he sees what’s left of himself 😩 Horrifying but great scene

GhostDog - 1/25/2021, 7:14 AM

Its an enjoyable film and better than it should have been. It had some interesting aspects to it.

Idk why they hired José Padilha for a PG13 Robocop film. Man made Elite Squad

GothamSon - 1/25/2021, 7:15 AM

Maybe the biggest problem with the movie was jumping on the Nolan bandwagon and making the suit stealth-black?

Robocop is silver chrome, period.

elgaz - 1/25/2021, 7:16 AM

I liked it. They didn't try to emulate the original totally (particularly Verhoeve's satirical and unique take on capitalism) but I don't blame them for that, the original concept worked well in the 80s but may not have came across as well in 2014. I did like how they flipped the machine/human integration; in the original Robocop starts out extremely robotic but gradually regains his human side, whilst in the remake the reverse happens.

elgaz - 1/25/2021, 7:17 AM

@elgaz - *Verhoeven.

Vision85 - 1/25/2021, 7:19 AM

He's great and looks cool in the costume but hes not Robo though. Every idea that deviated from the original missfired. Shame the Blomkamp sequel didnt go anywhere. I got the feeling he would have cast Weller and you could then play with the idea of an old, near to death Robo whose robot parts can be replaced but brain and bio parts have aged and are near the end. I'd love that. The Unforgiven of Cyberpunk movies.

MosquitoFarmer - 1/25/2021, 7:19 AM

The movie was okay. Had a rather good cast. But he is right that it had a fanbase that would be hard to satisfy either way. As an actor, for me Kinnaman is just sort of there and around, but I'd love to see him have a performance that really wows everyone.

GhostDog - 1/25/2021, 7:34 AM

A continuation is so right for the current moment in time. Verhoeven's themes explored back 30 years ago are almost even more relevant now.

RageDriver2401 - 1/25/2021, 7:40 AM

I have forgotten every detail about this movie. That said I've never really been able to see Kinnaman as a leading man. Never had big expectations for this movie. The black RoboCop variant while generic, does look kinda cool.

Kman - 1/25/2021, 7:42 AM

And yet we’re still not getting a Dredd sequel... but we’re talking about it for this bland RoboCop remake. Ugh.

MrCamw1 - 1/25/2021, 7:53 AM

I remember liking Sam Jackson in the movie.....but I like Sam Jackson in everything.... even The Spirit.

Boyle360 - 1/25/2021, 7:54 AM

I didn't mind this movie. He's right, it's fairly solid.

MrDandy - 1/25/2021, 8:23 AM

Good to hear him speak so frankly about the movie now. I personally am a big fan of the original and hated the remake. It didn’t understand the appeal of the franchise at all.

Kadara - 1/25/2021, 8:23 AM

That was an insightful interview, I liked his honesty and willingness to take responsibility for the failure. It's rare to hear that these days unfortunately.

Highflyer - 1/25/2021, 8:29 AM

I enjoyed it. Not great but it was decent.

hainesy - 1/25/2021, 9:13 AM

@Highflyer - Same. I loved the scene where the doctor showed him that he was basically just a brain. The way he said "Never show me this again" was so great.

1 2

THE SUICIDE SQUAD Star Joel Kinnaman On What Went Wrong With ROBOCOP And Inadvertently Angering Studio Bosses

2014's RoboCop disappointed fans of the franchise, and star Joel Kinnaman has shared his take on what went wrong, while revealing how some comments in an interview landed him in hot water with the studio.

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