A ‘Robocop’ Prequel TV Series Is In Development
In the age of Hollywood remakes, it was only a matter of time before Robocop got some more love. However, it comes as a bit of a shock it is planned to be a prequel and a full-length series rather than another film.
Cyberpunk themes and cyborgs have been growing in popularity in popular culture over the last few years, and the impact of this influence can be seen in many industries from film and television to gaming, bringing all kinds of cyborg-inspired titles. Blade Runner, for instance, was remade in 2017 and was received very well by cinema-goers and long-time fans of the franchise. And the latest rendition of Star Trek – Picard brought back the much-missed Borg race.
In the gaming industry, popular games like Call of Duty have delved into technological aid with titles like Advanced Warfare and CD Projekt Red’s upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most hyped-up games featuring plenty of human augmentation. Even industries like the iGaming industry couldn’t resist the appeal, as many online casinos that UK players like feature cyborg-inspired slot games, with a futuristic backdrop, like Machina Megaways, found at Leovegas.
So it’s no surprise that superhuman cyborg police officers like Robocop would fit nicely into the cyborg and cyberpunk revival. While nothing has been confirmed yet, the writer of the original Robocop screenplay, Ed Neumeier, did reveal, in no uncertain terms, that the project was definitely in the works.
“I’m working at MGM on it. With any luck, if MGM is willing, if we can find the partners, if we can get this pilot made, if we can convince a bunch of people,” he told MovieHole.
The decision to go with a prequel story is an interesting one, though. What is Robocop without a mechanical policeman after all? However, that being said, the city of Detroit in the film is an absolute mess with corporate greed, crime and corruption leading to the need for an impartial robotic law enforcement official. So maybe the story of how it got to be that way will be an impressive foundation.
The prequel will reportedly focus on the life of a young Richard Jones and how he evolves from enthusiastic businessman to the cynical and corrupt senior vice president of Omni Consumer Products, Dick Jones, and the role the corporate world plays in that transformation. “Nobody necessarily starts out being the bad guy,” teases Neumeier.
The writer did not shy away from the fact that they will use examples from the way contemporary society behaves in the real world city of Detroit to help tell the story.
“There’s the idea of doing things about business and law enforcement in the city of Detroit a minute-and-a-half in the future, it would be a way to do all sorts of stories about business and tech, Silicon Valley, corporations, snakes in suits, cops, all that. It’s a wonderful, rich tapestry,” he said.
Neither is Neumeier working on the project alone. He is joined by Dave Parkin and Rob Gibbs, who actually came up with the idea according to the original writer.
The original Robocop films, along with others like Terminator, spawned a generation of sci-fi, cyberpunk fans and the popularity of the genre is reaching a fever pitch this year thanks to Cyberpunk 2077. It seems like the perfect time to get Robocop back on screen.
With the original writer involved in the project and public opinion of corporations being at an all-time low, this prequel series has a ton of potential. Unfortunately, as the potential Robocop series is only “in development” at the moment, there are no additional details about the show at this stage with no release date or casting news available, but we’ll let you know if we hear more.
