Earlier this week, Amazon reconfirmed its plans to launch a RoboCop limited series with Dan Stevens (Legion, The Guest, Downton Abbey) in the titular role. While casting Stevens as Alex Murphy feels like a stroke of genius, we’ve watched Hollywood try and fail to reintroduce the classic character before, most notably with José Padilha’s 2014 train wreck starring Joel Kinnaman as RoboCop. With Padilha’s affront to cinema still fresh in mind, I remain rightfully guarded despite Stevens coming on board. However, the actor recently opened up about stepping into the iconic role, and what he had to say makes me feel far more optimistic about his approach to the core material.
A Reason for Hope After the 2014 Misstep
While speaking with ComicBook.com, Stevens said, “Oh my God, I mean so many things,” regarding what he’s looking forward to while working on the upcoming project. “That original is one of my favorite films of all time. For me and so many of my friends, it was such an iconic movie.”
Hearing Stevens’ genuine enthusiasm for Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi masterpiece is like music to my ears. The original 1987 RoboCop is a stone-cold classic, complete with its razor-sharp satirical meta-commentary, extreme ultra-violence, and harsh look at a decaying society corrupted by ruthless corporate interests and people in power. If Amazon’s version keeps those foundational elements of the RoboCop brand front and center, we could actually be in business.
Honoring Verhoeven’s Violent, Satirical Roots
Stevens continued, “I think maybe one of the first exposures to extreme violence and also satire. I think that’s what I’m most looking forward to, hopefully preserving those elements.”
Per Deadline’s previous report, Stevens will star as Alex Murphy and his cyborg alter ego, RoboCop, in a brand-new show from showrunner Peter Ocko and the genre powerhouse team at Blumhouse Atomic Monster. Stevens is coming aboard the eight-episode series just one month after Amazon MGM Studios officially gave the project the green light, though reports indicate the new RoboCop series has been kicking around development for years.
What We Know About Amazon’s RoboCop Series
Written by Ocko, RoboCop revolves around a giant tech conglomerate that convinces a struggling city to place a powerful, high-tech robot in its police force, a machine implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer, Alex Murphy.
How would you preserve the core aspects of RoboCop when approaching a brand-new series? Is a RoboCop reboot a great idea with the right team, or should Amazon leave the character alone entirely? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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