RoboCop Sequel In The Works, And District 9's Neill Blomkamp Will Direct

A new RoboCop is coming, and fans of the original movie have a lot to be excited about. RoboCop Returns will be a direct sequel to the first RoboCop--not the 2014 reboot. It's being adapted from a script written by Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, who wrote the original 1987 film. Neill Blomkamp, who directed District 9, will direct the film, and Justin Rhodes, who co-wrote the new Terminator film currently in the works, will work on the script.

"The original definitely had a massive effect on me as a kid," Blomkamp told Deadline. "I loved it then and it remains a classic in the end of 20th Century sci-fi catalog, with real meaning under the surface. Hopefully that is something we can get closer to in making of a sequel." RoboCop Returns will once again take audiences to Detroit, where "anarchy reigns" and RoboCop must fight crime and corruption.

The original RoboCop revolved around Alex Murphy, a police officer who's gunned down by gang only to be brought back as a robotic cop with the mission of cleaning up the streets; however, he is forced to deal with the latent memories of his wife and son. The sequel script was written many years ago, but a combination of issues stopped it from ever being made.

"What's so cool about RoboCop is that like good Westerns, sci-fi films, and dramas, the human connection is really important to a story well told. What draws me now is someone searching for their lost identity, taken away at the hands of people who are benefiting from it, and seeing his memory jogged by events. That is most captivating. The other thing I am excited by is the chance to work again with Justin Rhodes. He has added elements that are pretty awesome, to a sequel that was set in the world of Verhoeven. This is a movie I would love to watch," said Blomkamp.

There has already been a sequel to RoboCop. 1990's RoboCop 2, which was written by Frank Miller and Walon Green and directed by The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner, was a box office hit but was critically panned, while 1993's RoboCop 3 turned many fans off by aiming for a younger audience. There were also two shortlived TV show in the 1990s, one live-action, the other animated. The 2014 remake was directed by José Padilha (Narcos) and starred Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Keaton. RoboCop Returns will release in 2019.