Robocop to be reinvented by Darren Aronofsky

For the past several weeks, it's been floating around that Darren Aronofsky would be taking over Robocop and restarting the franchise. Frankly, we were too skeptical about the whole thing to report on it, since the whole thing sounded more like rumor than fact. But as strange as it sounds, it is indeed true. With David Self (Road to Perdition) writing the screenplay, the new Robocop  movie is being fast-tracked for release in 2010.

It's sometimes forgotten that, when watched the way it's supposed to be (that is, as a meditation on the dehumanization of an increasingly authoritarian society), Robocop is not just another action movie, but actually a very smart and pointed action movie. Of course, the awesome fight scenes don't hurt either.

Reports on the tone of the remake have been mixed, with MGM's chair Mary Parent claiming it will recreate the feeling of the original while an "insider" report from Variety claims that it will be more of a noir remake. But so long as it's better than the increasingly unnecessary Robocop sequels, we're really not too concerned what direction Aronofsky takes things.

Related links:
Criterion Collection release of the original Robocop
News: Darren Aronofsky developing paranormal Towers for TV
Review: The Fountain

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