While Hugh Jackman nearly bent over backwards to assure us that Darren Aronofksy’s influence on The Wolverine will make it onto the screen even if he’s not directing, Brazilian rebooter (rebootist?) Jose Padilha is bending over backwards to assure us the opposite is true for Robocop.
While giving what little context he could about the approach he’ll take to the film, Padilha was also sure to make it very clear he hasn’t even read Aronofsky’s reboot script, much less integrated any of it into his version.
I haven’t read Aronofsky’s script. Aronofsky is a great director. I love his films. I am very proud because I saw Pi in the opening Sundance screening and I loved it. So Aronofsky’s great. I have my own take on Robocop. I know what his take was and it’s totally different. It’s a different thing, different kind of film, even different period in time so I haven’t read his previous work.
So fair enough, he’s doing his own thing. Definitely a bad idea to follow up on an Aronofsky project trying to emulate that guys vision just from the very raw materials. Beyond that though, he had little to say about the context, period, or designs of the film, except to say that some things you just can’t change.
That’s the heart and soul of the film. It’s that conflict between stuff trying to own you and you trying to persevere. That’s the heart of the story and it has to be. Any Robocop that’s worth that name has to talk about that…
Alex Murphy is Alex Murphy, man. You can’t call Batman some other name. Bruce Wayne is Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent is Clark Kent, Alex Murphy is Alex Murphy...
The interview with Crave from which these quotes come also goes into Padhila’s thoughts on using the camera and his philosophies for covering action. He seems like a very knowledgeable guy, and while I can’t say for sure that he (or anyone, for that matter) is the right choice to remake such a time-capsule film as Robocop, I detect that he’ll be giving it everything he’s got.
Maybe we’ll be hearing some casting or other production news soon, and maybe it won’t be the same “Michael Fassbender!” thrown at every project these days.
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(via Total Film)
5 comments
I hate the idea of this.
I can’t see how anything could compare to Verhoeven’s violent and campy masterpiece. They better put in some quality commercials like the original, and at least something of an ode to thw whole “I’ll buy that for a dollar!” bit.
Either way, I’m skeptical at best, but also a little curious to see what is done.
I recently saw his documentary Bus 174, and I really liked the guy’s vision. It will be interesting to see if he brings that edge to his Robocop. That said, the first will always be the best.
Alex Murphy is Alex Murphy? Meh. In Verhoeven’s DVD commentary on the Criterion disk, he states clearly that Murphy is supposed to be a nearly empty every-man. What do we know about Murphy? The he can twirl a pistol seems about all. A Robocop reboot offers a director a chance to make something really special. Hopefully Padhilla will step up to the challenge, or let the baton get passed (as most batons handed to Aronofsky seem to).
Yup, Bus 174 rocked.
I’d bet one of the commercials will be a spoof on Viagra. I’ll buy that for a dollar.
Is there any word on whether Aronofsky actually ever intends to see these “One for Them” projects through? I just read them as his way of paying the bills with development money while working on shit he actually intends to make. Basically running the IP through the wringer til the producers let him walk away from the contract, money in pocket.
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