There are few sci-fi characters who are instantly as recognizable or iconic as RoboCop. Even since Paul Verhoeven transformed Peter Weller into a pop culture legend while also delivering a really good movie — which most people tend to overlook — as he took corporate greed, policing and the rise of technology to task. The story has been retold over everal sequels, television projects and a big-screen remake followed, but the original remains the definitive version for many fans, but now another man is about to give it a go.
Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) has been cast as Alex Murphy/RoboCop in Prime Video’s upcoming RoboCop series, taking over the role most famously played by Weller. Stevens becomes the latest actor to inherit Alex Murphy. Weller starred in RoboCop and RoboCop 2, before Robert Burke (Thinner) replaced him for RoboCop 3. Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad) subsequently played Murphy in the 2014 reboot. The new series comes from showrunner Peter Ocko (Lodge 49) and Blumhouse Atomic Monster, with Ocko also writing the adaptation.
In RoboCop, a giant tech conglomerate convinces the city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer.
What Can We Expect from the New ‘RoboCop’?
Amazon MGM Studios’ Head of Global TV Peter Friedlander previously said Ocko’s take would preserve what made the original movie endure while creating something relevant to the modern world:
“Peter Ocko has crafted a vision that honors the soul of what made the original so enduring while building something entirely fresh and urgent for today.”
The series will revisit the original’s questions surrounding technology, identity and corporate power, with executive producer James Wan (The Conjuring) previously highlighting the question of “who corporations really serve” as one of the ideas the adaptation will explore. Ocko executive produces alongside Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett through Blumhouse Atomic Monster. Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, who co-wrote the original 1987 movie, are also executive producers.
Stevens will next appear in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 as Owen Stark, reunite with director Adam Wingard for Onslaught, and reprise his role as Trapper in 2027’s Godzilla x Kong: Supernova. Prime Video has not yet announced a release date for its eight-episode RoboCop series.
via Collider