The RoboCop franchise has seen sequels, TV series and even a remake, and in recent years there’s also been the prospect of the franchise going down the Halloween requel route by returning to the continuity established by Paul Verhoeven in the 1987 classic.
Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) would’ve helmed the project, based on a concept penned by RoboCop writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner after the original film’s release. He left in 2019, moving on to other work. The “would-be sequel to Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 original” was titled RoboCop Returns.
Speaking to JoBlo, Blomkamp explained what was set to happen for this RoboCop retooling, stating: “That’s the only film that I would have ever done where I would have tried to basically simulate Paul Verhoeven’s directing style. I wanted it to feel like it was the day after. Like if Dick Jones fell out of the window on Monday, this would have been Tuesday. It was like literally the next morning that it began. So it was a direct sequel exactly in the same style.”
As Amazon enters its era of MGM ownership, Neill Blomkamp’s RoboCop requel is dead and we are yet to hear anything about any future RoboCop projects, although it was reported earlier this year that Amazon is prepping a deep dive through MGM’s film and TV library and so its surely only a matter of time until the IP returns in some form.
As for Blomkamp, his film Gran Turismo is releasing this month, and you can read our review here.
Originally published August 12, 2023. Updated August 13, 2023.
