RoboCop is a 2014 American cyberpunk superhero film that is a remake of the 1987 film and the fourth installment of the RoboCop franchise. The film was directed by José Padilha and written by Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier, and Michael Miner. Joel Kinnaman stars as the title character, with Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, and Samuel L. Jackson in supporting roles. Set in 2028, a detective becomes critically injured and is turned into a cyborg police officer whose programming blurs the line between man and machine.
Sony Pictures' Screen Gems first announced a remake in 2005, but it was halted one year later. Darren Aronofsky and David Self were originally assigned to direct and write the film, respectively, for a tentative 2010 release. The film was delayed numerous times, and Padilha signed on in 2011. In March 2012, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (successor company to Orion Pictures until September 11, 2014, the studio that released the original film) announced an August 2013 release, but that was then changed to February 2014. The principal characters were cast from March to July 2012. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, with additional locations in Hamilton, in Canada, and Detroit in the United States.
RoboCop released in the United States on February 12, 2014, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews, being considered inferior to the original film, although the visual effects, the cast performances and the action sequences were praised. It grossed $242.6 million against its $100–130 million budget.
Plot
In 2028, OmniCorp revolutionizes warfare by introducing robotic peacekeeping drones. CEO Raymond Sellars wants to market this technology to U.S. law enforcement, but the Dreyfus Act bans the use of domestic militarized drones. Knowing that a majority of Americans oppose military systems in communities, Sellars consults roboticist Dr. Dennett Norton on the viability of developing cyborgs with OmniCorp technology. Norton warns him that the process would be incredibly traumatic, and that they must find the right candidate.
A Detroit police detective, Alex Murphy, is selected after a car-bomb planted by crime boss Antoine Vallon leaves him critically injured. Norton persuades Alex's wife, Clara, to approve the procedure. Upon waking, Alex escapes after realizing his transformation, but Norton shuts him down and returns him to the lab. Norton reveals that most of his body is gone, leaving only parts of his head with a repaired cybernetic brain, respiratory organs, heart, and right hand. Horrified, Alex asks for euthanasia, but Norton urges him to live for the possibility of being reunited with his family. During training with Rick Mattox, Alex struggles to match the drones; Norton creates a new subroutine that allows Alex' programming to take control of his actions, making him incredibly efficient but also reducing his empathy.
Before his public unveiling, Alex experiences an emotional breakdown and Norton has no choice but to completely suppress his emotions. During the ceremony, RoboCop identifies and apprehends a wanted fugitive in the crowd. As he reduces crime in Detroit, the public becomes more supportive of repealing the Dreyfus Act. Realizing Clara is inquiring about her husband, Sellars instructs Norton to distance her from him.
Clara tells RoboCop about David's nightmares and social withdrawal. Driven by this, Alex overrides his programming to access sealed files on his attempted murder. Learning of Vallon's culpability, he guns down the boss and all of his men in a fierce shootout. With help from his former partner Jack Lewis, Alex then tracks down the two dirty cops who betrayed him to Vallon. Upon realizing that the Chief of Police covered up their actions, he attempts to arrest her only to be remotely deactivated by Mattox.
Through Pat Novak's news show, Sellars uses the incident to get the Dreyfus Act repealed. When Clara threatens public exposure unless she's allowed to see her husband, Sellars lies to her that Alex died from surgical complications while secretly ordering his men to euthanize him. Norton helps Alex escape just as OmniCorp goes into full lockdown.
Alex forces his way inside and overcomes the building's automated security as the police arrive. Mattox is able to subdue him but is swiftly killed by Lewis. Reaching the rooftop helipad, Alex finds Sellars holding his wife and son at gunpoint while revealing that Robocop's programming prevents him from harming any top executive of OmniCorp. Through sheer will, Alex is able to pull off a quickdraw with his pistol and finish off Sellars.
OmniCorp's parent company, OCP, shuts down the project. The U.S. President vetoes the repeal of the Dreyfus Act based on Norton's testimony, much to Novak's anger. Alex's body is rebuilt in Norton's laboratory, and he waits for Clara and David, who are coming to visit him.
Cast
Joel Kinnaman as Alex Murphy / RoboCop: A young police detective who is injured in an explosion and transformed into a cyborg Gary Oldman as Dr. Dennett Norton: Omni foundation chief scientist who creates RoboCop Michael Keaton as Raymond Sellars: The CEO of OmniCorp Abbie Cornish as Clara Murphy: Alex's wife Jackie Earle Haley as Rick Mattox: A drone controller and automated military tactician expert responsible for training RoboCop Michael K. Williams as Jack Lewis: Alex's best friend and former partner Jennifer Ehle as Liz Kline: The head of OmniCorp legal affairs Jay Baruchel as Tom Pope: The head of marketing for OmniCorp Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Karen Dean: Detroit chief of police Samuel L. Jackson as Pat Novak: Host of The Novak Element and prominent supporter of mechanized crime control Zach Grenier as Hubert Dreyfus: A senator of Michigan and prominent opponent of increased mechanization Aimee Garcia as Dr. Jae Kim: Norton's colleague Douglas Urbanski as Durant: The mayor of Detroit John Paul Ruttan as David Murphy: Alex and Clara's son Patrick Garrow as Antoine Vallon: A sadistic gang boss K. C. Collins as Andre Daniels Daniel Kash as John Lake
Production
Development
Sony Pictures Entertainment's Screen Gems division first announced that it was working on a new RoboCop film in late 2005; no further details were given. In November 2006, Bloody Disgusting reported that the RoboCop remake had been halted. In March 2008, RoboCop was mentioned in a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) press release regarding franchises it would be developing in the future. An MGM poster displayed at the Licensing International Expo of June 2008 read, "RoboCop coming 2010." The studio met with Darren Aronofsky to discuss the possibility of him directing the film. At the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, Aronofsky was confirmed to direct the "2010 RoboCop" film, with David Self writing the script. In October of 2008, science fiction author and screenwriter Harlan Ellison confirmed that he and his fellow screenwriter Josh Olson had been similarly approached to write for the film but that they had both decided to decline the offer. The release date was postponed to 2011. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2009, MGM representatives stated only that the film would be pushed back to summer 2010 or a later date, due to scheduling conflicts with the director (most likely Aronofsky). MGM representatives would neither confirm nor deny if Aronofsky was still connected with the project.
On January 5, 2010, it was reported that the RoboCop remake was indeed on hold and Aronofsky was still attached to direct. When MGM executives, particularly MGM chairperson Mary Parent, saw the immense success of the James Cameron film Avatar (2009), it was clear that they wanted a 3D film for the new RoboCop. Due to the financial state of MGM at the time, without an owner, and creative disagreements between the studio and Aronofsky, the film remained on hold. On March 2, 2011, it was announced that Brazilian director José Padilha was attached to direct, instead of Aronofsky, mainly because of his commercial success with Elite Squad (2007) and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010). On March 11, 2011, Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club stated that up-and-coming screenwriter Joshua Zetumer would write the script. Although Zetumer had been involved with a number of canceled or otherwise stagnant projects, he had also worked on the screenplay for Quantum of Solace (2008). Comparing the new work to the 1987 film, Padilha said in 2011, "the environment nowadays is different than the environment in the 80's and the way to explore the concept is different." It was announced in October 2013 that the film would get an IMAX release in February 2014. Sony Pictures Releasing distributed the film in United States, Canada, and worldwide with the exclusion of United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where StudioCanal handled distribution.
Pre-production On April 12, 2011, rumors stated that MGM was looking at A-list stars such as Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Keanu Reeves to star in the lead role of Alex Murphy/RoboCop in the upcoming remake. On June 16, 2011, pictures of promotional art were released, as well as a sales sheet from the Licensing International Expo 2011 in Las Vegas, NV, promoting a future release of RoboCop which would re-invent the franchise. The promotional material had sparse details of the film but clearly stated that MGM was targeting a 2013 release and Padilha was confirmed as director of the film. Michael Fassbender, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Russell Crowe were considered to play the title role. On March 3, 2012, it was confirmed that actor Joel Kinnaman would be playing the lead role,Silas Lesnick (2011-06-16) and on March 9, 2012, the film was given a release date of August 9, 2013. Hugh Laurie was set to play the role of the CEO of OmniCorp on June 13, 2012, but he later declined. Clive Owen was in the running to replace him until Michael Keaton was cast in the role in August 2012. Edward Norton, Sean Penn, Gael García Bernal, and Rebecca Hall were initially considered for the roles of Dr. Dennett Norton, Novak, Jack Lewis, and Clara Murphy, respectively. The roles ended up being cast with Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael K. Williams, and Abbie Cornish. Jackie Earle Haley officially signed on in July 2012 to play a "military man named Mattox responsible for training Kinnaman's RoboCop". Jay Baruchel was confirmed to have signed onto the film on July 25, 2012, as Pope, a marketing exec for OmniCorp. Douglas Urbanski, cast as Mayor Durant, is typically a non-actor who is also the decades-long manager and producing partner of Gary Oldman. Rob Bottin's original costume for the title character was re-imagined. Initial reactions were unfavorable and some compared it with Christian Bale's Batman suit in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight films. News reports discussed a "rather derivative" design which "looks more like kevlar body armor than Detroit steel". The Guardian described the new RoboCop as "a crime-fighting machine who is not so much cyborg as skinny bloke in matte-black body armour" and said, "The new Robosuit has a scaly, insectoid look to it, with a blacked-out visor rather than the original's steel extended helmet."
Before starting filming, Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles revealed that Padilha called him to admit he was having "the worst experience of his life" and "for every ten ideas he has, nine are cut". Padilha, according to Meirelles, said, "It's hell here. The film will be good, but I have never suffered so much and I don't want to do it again." However, Padilha talked enthusiastically about the project at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con and in his introduction to the second trailer. Production began in September 2012.
Filming