James Wan to Produce Live Action Robocop TV Show

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

RoboCop is moving forward through the development process at Amazon MGM Studios. Peter Ocko is said to be writing the new show, and James Wan, a master of horror, is going to serve as the executive producer. James Wan is doing so under his Atomic Monster banner, with the series following the same overall theme of the movies.

RoboCop was Huge for 80s Cinema

RoboCop was a huge part of 1980s cinema, with the movie being a huge success from a financial and fan standpoint. It resonated deeply with audiences due to its huge blend of action, with special effects that were quite remarkable for the time period. This helped to birth a major franchise. The original film’s impact might not have felt the same success as Beverly Hills Cop II, but it grossed over $53 million during its opening run, making it one of the most successful and highest-grossing films of 1987. The movie also went on to be the top rental for 1988, which again boosted the cultural impact even more while helping the movie beyond the initial box office run.

The character of RoboCop was instantly recognizable. Peter Weller played the character with the RoboCop suit designed originally by Rob Bottin. Stop-motion animation was used and not only contributed to its lasting legacy, but also helped to birth a whole franchise. The success of the film led to RoboCop 2, which landed in 1990, and then RoboCop 3, which came out in 1993.

Since then, books like RoboCop: A Definitive History have been a huge success, with several podcasts released to try to cover the series. These feature deep dives into the film as well as people’s hot takes on what could come next, many of which feature special guests to give fans of the movie a unique take on the iconic police drama. In iGaming, the impact of RoboCop can also be felt. The popular online casino game RoboCop Cash Collect features the cyborg police officer as well as a city skyline that closely resembles where the movie takes place, in Detroit. The title also pays homage to the original movie by featuring symbols that resemble the main characters, alongside flames and cyber weapons to dial in the theme that fans know and love.

RoboCop Is Moving Through the Development Process

Right now, RoboCop is moving through the development process, with Amazon MGM Studios leading the rerun. The series is going to follow the same premise as the original movies as well, with the idea being that a giant tech company is collaborating with a local police department to try to introduce a police officer to fight the rising crime rates.

The officer is part man, part machine, as in the original movies, but fans can expect to see more action, more special effects, and a bigger comedic edge. It was reported last year that RoboCop is going to be one of the first MGM titles to be released under the Amazon banner. Amazon acquired the major movie company and the 100-year-old studio and plans to launch a number of classics under the name. Some of them include Legally Blonde, a prequel series, as well as Poltergeist. The new RoboCop is going to follow the same character, Alex Murphy.

Peter Weller Was Asked if He’d Return to the Series

It’s been confirmed that Peter Weller has been asked if he would be open to returning to the series. He chose to keep his answer quite simple and said that it’s a good question and that if the stars align, there’s always a chance that he would be open to it. Peter Weller did return for RoboCop 2, but the film didn’t do as well at the box office. Robert Burke took over the role of RoboCop in RoboCop 3, but the movie had the worst performance out of the three.

The Release Date has Not Been Confirmed 

Interestingly, a lot of work is being done on the new Amazon RoboCop TV show, and it’s already moving forward at quite a rapid rate. The show stalled at one point as Amazon wanted to make sure that the time was right for the reboot, while also making sure that they could get the right cast. As of right now, the cast has not been confirmed, or it may just be that Amazon is choosing not to release it.

Either way, Amazon has not confirmed when the new TV show is going to be released, which could indicate that it’s not going to be 2027 until we see any signs of it coming to the Amazon Prime platform. Fans of the original police drama can rent the first movie right now on Prime, or you can take out a free trial through MGM Studios, which gives you access to a catalogue of content outside the normal Prime Video offerings.