âDead or alive, youâre coming with me.â When it comes to the RoboCop Ip, most fans of Paul Verhoevenâs stone-cold classic 1987 genre-blender would probably choose dead. Itâs like Jurassic Park, where a genius original film gave birth to a cash-cow enterprise that never even really came close to the high quality that was initially shown out of the gate. Intelligent, violent, and loaded with antagonists that were just as memorable as the protagonist, RoboCop was not just one of 1987âs best films, it was one of the â80s absolute top-tier action movies.
The difference is, RoboCop was never really the cash cow that Jurassic has repeatedly proved itself to be. So, when it was announced that James Wan was set to executive produce a Robocop reboot series for Amazon, questions arose as to why. After all, 1990âs RoboCop 2 (directed by The Empire Strikes Backâs Irvin Kershner) didnât quadruple its price tag the way Verhoevenâs film did, and even if itâs aged well, it still doesnât hold a candle to the brilliant satirical power of the IPâs Kickstarter.
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RELATED: New Robocop TV Series In The Works
Then thereâs Fred Dekkerâs 1993 sequel RoboCop 3, which performed about as well financially as the second movie but was eviscerated by critics and fans alike. The main criticism? A PG-13 rating simply does not fit what is supposed to be an ultra-violent, tongue-in-cheek look at what amounts to a futuristic hellscape where greed runs rampant.
This was a lesson not learned back in the early â90s when the IP had its first shot at small-screen success. Specifically, after RoboCop 3 failed to take off, a bankrupt Orion Pictures licensed a television series. Crafted by the independent Canadian studio Skyvision Entertainment, RoboCop (1994) made the mistake that trilogy-capper made and attempted to cater to a younger audience.
In fact, it very much feels like a sibling product to that maligned third film, even if it doesnât embrace the trilogyâs continuity or feature any of the filmâs stars. So, in the end, the TV version was bashed for the same reason the third film was. Though, to its credit, the TV version had They Live and Itâs Always Sunny in Philadelphiaâs Roddy Piper in an episode, which must count for something.
This taming-down criticism carried on when JosĂ© Padilhaâs bone-dry 2014 reboot hit theaters with a whimper. It wasnât the incoherent mess that RoboCop 3 was, but it simultaneously proved that incoherence could be more memorable than a project with no interesting new ideas and a group of A-listers who seem to be dreaming about being in a better movie. In short, it wasnât seemingly playing directly to younger audiences, but its PG-13 rating still made it a bland actioner.
Padilhaâs movie seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for the IP, until the 2023 video game RoboCop: Rogue City netted surprisingly strong reviews and even got Peter Weller back to voice the title character. But donât expect Weller in the Amazon reboot, as its loglineââA giant tech conglomerate collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crimeâŠââindicates it will be another attempt to build the franchise from the ground up.
Yet, in all fairness, thereâs reason to be excited for this one. On one hand, Wan is like Jordan Peele in that, when heâs a producer on something, you can actually detect his touch on the project. Secondly, showrunner/writer Peter Ocko has served those two roles on some of the aughts and 2010sâ best series, including but not limited to The Office, Pushing Daisies, The Leftovers, and Black Sails.
The former two projects show that he can tackle the satirical element of RoboCop while the latter two (to varying degrees) show that he can display equal comfort when it comes to violent material. Not to mention, since itâs an Amazon series, itâs not burdened with catering to the masses via aiming for a PG-13 rating.
In fact, itâs highly unlikely the Robocop reboot will do anything besides go for a tone in line with the first two films. In other words, the small screen is now an avenue to let RoboCop truly be RoboCop, so letâs just hope those behind the series can stick the landing where others have stumbled before.
Amazonâs Robocop series is in development.
