In 2014, José Padilha and MGM teamed up to bring a new version of “RoboCop” to the big screen; it didn’t go particularly well. Despite a halfway decent run at the box office, earning just over $240 million against a $100 budget, “RoboCop” flopped with critics and fans alike, and today it sits at a concurrent 49% Tomatometer and audience score. on Rotten Tomatoes. Later, star Joel Kinnaman blamed a PG-13 rating, and subsequent reduction in the violent dynamism of Paul Verhoeven’s original, for the remake’s underperformance. MGM’s next reboot attempt, “RoboCop Returns,” was thwarted by the departure of director Neill Blomkamp in 2019. After that, all was quiet.
Then, in 2022, Amazon acquired MGM in an $8.5 billion deal. The following year, it was reported that Amazon Studios had decided to embark on a full-blown reboot spree, spotlighting a number of MGM titles that were due for (re)development on film or television. These include “Stargate,” “Legally Blonde,” “Fame,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Pink Panther,” and, yes, “RoboCop.” Amazon could develop both a “RoboCop” movie and TV series, with the former following the latter. Everything else is up in the air right now, including the cast, crew, and release date, but with the studio moving full speed ahead in its attempt to establish a small army of marketable IPs, there’s no doubt that “RoboCop “She’ll be back in no time. – for better or worse.
