The latest movie in the Robocop franchise has found a new director. It has been reported that rising Australian filmmaker Abe Forsythe will helm Robocop Returns, following the departure of District 9’s Neill Blomkamp.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Forsythe will direct the movie as well as rewrite the script by Terminator: Dark Fate‘s Justin Rhodes. Robocop Returns will reportedly be a direct sequel to Paul Verhoeven’s classic 1987 film, rather than the 2014 remake and is to be produced by Ed Neumier and Michael Miner, the original’s writers. Forsythe’s most recent movie was the zombie comedy Little Monsters, which starred Lupita Nyong’o and was released last month.
Blomkamp was announced as director in July 2018 but left the project in August this year, stating that he was currently making a new horror movie and that Robocop producers MGM “need to shoot Robocop now.” However, the movie does not yet have a a release date or any confirmed cast, and with Forsythe rewriting the script, it doesn’t sound like it will be starting production any time soon.
The original Robocop was followed by two sequels. 1990’s Robocop 2 was a box office hit but was critically panned, while 1993’s Robocop 3 turned many fans off by aiming for a younger audience. There were also two short-lived TV shows in the 1990s, one live-action, the other animated. The 2014 remake was directed by José Padilha (Narcos) and starred Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Keaton.
