Jose Padilha has some definite ideas for his version of ‘Robocop’ and now has a scribe to help him with his vision. MGM has announced that Nick Schenk (‘Gran Torino’) has been hired to write the screenplay for the reboot.
Originally, Joshua Zetumer was said to be penning a screenplay last year in March so whether Schenk will be starting fresh or doing a rewrite is unknown. MGM is hoping to start production in the summer so a rewrite seems to be more likely.
To give you an idea of what Padilha has in mind regarding his version of ‘Robocop,’ here’s what he had to say as to why the project appealed to him:
“I like several things about RoboCop. The idea of having a man having actual body parts replaced by a computerised existence and the idea of a corporation taking control of this man and turning him into a product… this idea is very modern and very, very truthful. I mean you can talk about all sorts of important social issues and tendencies nowadays exploring the RoboCop concept. And you know, I bet you that in 30 years from now wars will only be fought by drones and law enforcement will be populated by drones and automatic systems. That creates a host of ethical issues, a lot of questions that have not been answered. Another interesting thing about RoboCop is that it allows you to talk about the philosophic mind/body problem, which is can a computer system be conscious? What does it mean to be conscious? Can you consider a robotic entity ethically guilty of a crime, or is the corporation that made the robot guilty? All those issues are the core of the RoboCop concept and those are the ones that drew me to the project.”
As for a cast, Padilha is waiting until the script is complete before doing any casting. “…once I have the script ready, he told Flickering Myth, “I’m going to start working on the cast. I like to have a good script before I show it to talent, you know? I’m not quite there… I’m almost there, but not there yet.”
Source: THR
