New ‘RoboCop’ Sequel Is Coming, and It Just Landed a Director

An upcoming sequel to Robocop has got its sites set squarely on director Abe Forsythe. The Australian filmmaker behind Little Monsters has signed onto the upcoming Robocop Returns. Unlike previous iterations of the franchise, which includes two sequels and one reboot, Robocop Returns will directly follow the events of the 1987 action staple.

Along with Forsythe at the helm, The Hollywood Reporter also has word that the screenwriters of the original Robocop, Ed Neumier and Michael Miner, will serve as producers. The two have previously written a script along with Justin Rhodes, who had a hand in this year’s Terminator: Dark Fate, another action movie installment that also ignored a slew of sequels and reboots.

That script was most recently in play last year when District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was in talks to tackle the big-budget action flick. That obviously didn’t come to pass, and Forsythe is reportedly going to re-write the script now that he’s signed on.

The original Robocop was directed by Paul Verhoeven and was released in theaters back in 1987. It starred Peter Weller as beat cop Alex Murphy in a near-future Detroit where corporations controlled everything and corruption ran rampant. After getting nearly killed by a vicious gang, he’s brought back with the help of an armored cybernetic body, making him “half man, half machine, all cop.”

The film grossed more than $53 million in theaters and was nominated for a trio of Academy Awards — even winning Best Sound Editing. In addition to a pair of sequels, Robocop 2 and Robocop 3, the film was a certified pop culture phenomenon, inspiring toys, comic books, video games, as well as several live-action and animated series. The film even celebrated a special theatrical re-release back in 2017 in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary. Director José Padilha tackled a reboot of the franchise in 2014, with Altered Carbon’s Joel Kinnamon tackling the role of Murphy.

It’s worth noting that the Robocop franchise is quite a step up for Forsythe, who most recently helmed Little Monsters. The quirky horror/comedy starred Lupita Nyong’o as an Australian pre-school teacher who’s forced to team up with an out-of-work musician (Alexander England) to take down a horde of zombies that threaten her class field trip. The film first premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in January and is currently available to stream on Hulu.

At this time, there’s been no announcement as to the release date for Robocop Returns.