Work on the forthcoming RoboCop reboot continues to move forward, with MGM announcing that Gran Torino screenwriter Nick Schenk has signed on to write the script.

One of a raft of classic properties that MGM is seeking to revive (see this week’s news story about Joe Carnahan’s Death Wish revamp), RoboCop will be directed by Jose Padilha, who has outlined his plan to delve deeper into how Alex Murphy became a cyborg.

“I have my take on it," Padilha told Superhero Hype, "And I can tell you this: In the first RoboCop, Alex Murphy is shot, gunned down, then you see some hospitals and stuff and then you cut to him as RoboCop. My movie is between those two cuts.”

“How do you make RoboCop?” he continues. “ How do you slowly bring a guy to be a robot? How do you actually take humanity out of someone and how do you program a brain, so to speak, and how does that affect an individual?"

No further casting news has been released as yet, but rumours linking Michael Fassbender to the project refuse to go away. We’re yet to be convinced by the need to reboot RoboCop, but if Fassbender were attached, we’d admit to having our interest piqued.

Production is set to begin later this year, with RoboCop is expected to open at some point in 2013.

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Tags: gets, Remake, Robocop, screenwriter

Last month, we brought you an interview with Brazilian director José Padilha (Elite Squad, Elite Squad 2) who is set to helm Robocop‘s return to the big-screen. Amongst other things, Padilha spoke about how his version of the story will differ from the 1987 original which starred Peter Weller, and was directed by Paul Verhoeven.

During a recent interview with Crave, Padilha was asked what he plans to do with a studio budget:

“Spend it. [Laughs] Listen, I always try to make the best film I can. If I can have one year to shoot a film, I want one year to shoot a film. If it’s not possible, I’ll try to make as best as I can in the timeframe that I have. I don’t know exactly, because I’ve never done a movie with a huge budget, but I do know that the producers in this film, the studio are filmmakers. It’s the people from Spyglass, Jon Glickman, Roger [Birnbaum] and Adam [Rosenberg]. They make films. They are not only studio execs. They are producers too. So they know how to make a film and it’s very good for me because it’s pragmatic. Once you give me the budget, whatever the budget is, the most important thing to me is that the money spent goes towards the screen. That’s what counts. If I have a beautiful five star trailer, that doesn’t change anything on the screen. It’s better to have more film, more footage, more takes. It’s that that concerns me and the guys that are making Robocop are very wise this way so it’s cool.”

The director was also asked whether or not he wants to redesign Robocop and ED-209:

“That I can’t tell otherwise I’m going to give the movie away. We are already doing that, working on the designs so I do already know stuff. Listen, the design has to match the script. You don’t design something out of the blue. You design something that makes sense inside the dramatic universe that you are exploring. So that’s what we’re doing.”

RoboCop is slated to hit theaters in 2013.

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Tags: Budgets, Director, Reboot, Redesigns, Robocop, Talks

 If you're in the camp that hates remakes of existing films and brands them pointless then director Jose Padilha's description of the upcoming RoboCop reboot at least sounds like a step in the right direction.  The Brazilian says he won't simply repeat Paul Verhoeven's work from the 1987 film.  “I love the sharpness and political tone of RoboCop and I think that such a film is now urgently needed. But I will not repeat what Verhoeven has done so clearly and strongly,” Padilha told Dutch entertainment website film1.  Perhaps less encouragingly, he also says the film will raise some important issues. “Instead I try to make a film that will address topics that Verhoeven untreated. If you are a man changes into a robot, how do you do that? What is the difference between humans and robots developed? What is free will? What does it mean to lose your free will? Those are the issues.”   Would you buy that for a dollar?

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Tags: Director, Jose, Padilha, Remake, Robocop, Talks

Coming this July from Dynamite Entertainment is the crossover of the summer, Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human. Written by Rob Williams with art by P.J. Holden, Kill Human finds Robocop waking up from hibernation to a bleak future where Skynet has humanity against the ropes. Will Robocop side with the machines or defend mankind?

“What makes for a stronger machine? The desire to uphold the law or the desire to wipe out humanity? We’re going to find out.”

[Source] Newsarama

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Tags: Human, Kill, Pair, Robocop, Terminator

MGM are apparently moving ahead with production of the RoboCop remake, despite axing their entire digital department.

The studio is still in the process of restructuring following its emergence from bankruptcy in December 2010 (you probably remember the legal wrangles that kept Bond 23 and The Hobbit from entering production as speedily as they otherwise might.)

There have been unconfirmed whispers that the company may be remaking several old properties, including Mr Mom and Poltergeist, but RoboCop seems like the surest bet at the moment.

Sadly it's unlikely that Darren Aronofsky will be involved in the remake, as he's currently working on X-Men prequel-sequel The Wolverine with Hugh Jackman.

Here's hoping that MGM set an equally interesting, visionary director to work on the project, rather than someone who'll simply churn out a generic action flick.

Currently the studio have The Hobbit, Bond 23, and fairytale revamp Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters in production. With MGM finding its feet again, expect to hear official announcements of forthcoming projects very shortly.

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As we told you recently, MGM‘s restructuring plan was approved by the bankruptcy court. Why this matters so much to movie lovers is that it’s one step forward towards getting long-stalled out projects up and running, and headed towards the big-screen. Bond 23 is one of them, and a planned remake of RoboCop with director Darren Aronofsky (The Wolverine, Black Swan) at the helm was another.

The director recently spoke with The Playlist and he is still thinking about resurrecting the brutally murdered cop turned super-human cyborg.

Aronofsky said,

“Well, ‘RoboCop’ may still happen one day, who knows? It’s MGM and hopefully they’ll clear their stuff up and I’m still interested. David Self wrote a great script, but the company went under so…”

If all the stars align and MGM reaches stability around the same time Aronofsky completes work on The Wolverine, he may be the one to bring him back.

RoboCop is slated to hit theaters in 2013.

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Darren Aronofsky has revealed that he’d still be interested in returning to the RoboCop reboot after completing work on The Wolverine.

Talking to The Playlist, the director said: “Well, RoboCop may still happen one day, who knows? It’s MGM and hopefully they’ll clear their stuff up and I’m still interested. David Self wrote a great script, but the company went under so…”

Well, with today’s news that MGM are finally digging their way out of their financial problems, Aronofsky could just see his own RoboCop become a reality.

The question now is: will he be able to juggle his other commitments to fit it in? After The Wolverine, he’s also attached to Machine Man at Mandalay, while he’s also been linked to Brad Pitt’s The Tiger as well.

Surely RoboCop trumps everything else, though, considering MGM have been trying reboot him for three years? With the studio beginning to repair itself, we imagine things are about to get very interesting…

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Tags: Darren Aronofsky, David Self, Machine Man, Mandalay, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Robocop, Still, Wolverine

Sideshow's Robocop Premium Format Figure is super cool, but unfortunately it completely sold out some two years ago (you can click on the above image to check out specs and images of it via it's original official product page).

These were a Limited Edition of 300 so they're as rare as hens teeth, but if you want one and you're quick, here's your chance.

Surreal Toys have one up for auction on Ebay. They're asking a price of $349.89 which is about $75 more expensive than when they first shipped back in 2007, but since you can't buy these just anywhere, that's really a fair deal.

Here's the link you need:  Robocop Premium Format Figure on eBay

Also, there's a comprehensive video review of the figure included on the auction page, which I've included below (after the jump):

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Tags: Robocop, robocop premium format, Robocop Premium Format Figure, Sideshow Collectibles