“The Conjuring” and “Aquaman” filmmaker James Wan has revealed that he’s working with none other than Paul Verhoeven on the upcoming new “RoboCop” series for Amazon Prime Video.
Speaking at BlumFest panel at New York Comic Con late last week (via ScreenRant, Wan confirmed the news but didn’t offer further detail as to the extent of Verhoeven’s role and whether he’ll receive an official credit. Wan directs several episodes of the series.
Verhoeven helmed the original 1987 satire but declined to direct the sequel and hasn’t been involved in any other film or TV attempts involving the property. He was quite critical of the 2014 reboot starring Joel Kinnaman for losing the dark satire of the original.
That he’s returning is seen as an endorsement of the project which also has co-creator and co-writer of the original Ed Neumeier listed as executive producer. Verhoeven’s film became an iconic sci-fi action film known for its satire of American capitalism, moments of extreme violence and iconic lines.
The new take’s story begins when a giant tech conglomerate collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crime: a police officer who’s part man, part machine.
This time the character of Alex Murphy is rumored to be a soldier who died in combat before being remade as a cyborg and beginning a new life. Dan Stevens (“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”) takes on the role.
The series will run for eight episodes and hails from showrunner Peter Ocko (“Lodge 49”). Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett executive produce.
