New Robocop Movie Is In Development, Will Be Sequel To Original

Although Robocop is widely considered one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s, most fans would agree that the subsequent sequels and remakes have been disappointing. But it has now been reported that a new film is on the way, with original writer Ed Neumeier involved with its development.

Neumeier revealed that the plan was to make a sequel to the 1987 original, and hinted that it might ignore everything else. "We're not supposed to say too much," he told Zeitgeist. "There's been a bunch of other Robocop movies and there was recently a remake. [But] I would say this would be kind of going back to the old Robocop we all love, starting there and going forward. So it's a continuation really of the first movie in my mind. So it's a little bit more of the old-school thing."

This is the first news about a new Robocop movie since 2015. Back then it was reported that the plan was to make a sequel to the 2014 remake. However Neumeier's comments suggest that this is no longer the case.

The original Robocop was directed by Paul Verhoeven, and was followed by two sequels. 1990's Robocop 2 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.

In related news, the upcoming Terminator sequel is taking a similar approach by ignoring every movie in the long-running series since 1991's Terminator 2. The film is to be directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller, with series creator James Cameron on board as producer. Original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton are also returning, and the movie is set for a 2019 release.