Prime Video’s ‘Robocop’ Reboot Finally Lands Major Update

Hollywood has no shortage of classic films and stories to reboot and bring back to life in new and different ways — and sometimes, a new version of a beloved picture can end up becoming a classic in its own right. A Star is Born, for example, has been made three different times, starting with the release of the original film in 1937. Batman has been brought to life in various different film series, each utilizing the character’s rich history in different ways. And now, Amazon MGM Studios is set to reboot something from their own extensive catalog.

World of Reel recently provided an update on Amazon MGM’s Robocop reboot, which is being developed as a television series. The project was first announced in 2023, and the last update came from Deadline the same year, in which it was reported that Peter Ocko, known for his work as showrunner on Lodge 49, would be writing and serve as a showrunner on the series. At the time, it was also stated that James Wan also planned to be attached as an executive producer. After an extended period of silence, this new report now claims that horror master James Wan is also set to direct “key” episodes of the upcoming show.

The report also mentions that the Robocop series is getting ready for a six-month shoot next January in Vancouver, while teasing some new details about this new version of the character. Apparently, this Robocop series will focus on a character named Marc Kyle, as opposed to Alex Murphy, the main character of the original Robocop films and the 2014 reboot. Moreover, rather than being the victim of gang violence in a North American city, Kyle will apparently die in a war before he is sent to be transformed into a cybernetic officer similar to the one seen in previous iterations.

Perhaps one of the most interesting tidbits of information to come from this new report is the claim that, once Kyle becomes a cyborg, he will be mentored by Alex Murphy. We don’t know whether Peter Weller will reprise the role of Murphy, though the series would definitely benefit from having a familiar face that could help drive the intergenerational narrative of the story. Changing the origin to a war setting suggests that Amazon MGM is trying to modernize the character’s mythology, however.

Paul Verhoeven’s classic action film was first rebooted in 2014, with a film that starred Joel Kinnaman as Murphy and was directed by José Padilha. While this version tried to preserve the satirical tone of the original story, it received mixed reviews. It will be interesting to see if Wan and the rest of the creative team lean more into the dark humor and satirical aspects of Verhoeven’s film, or if the show takes more of a traditional action approach. There’s no set release date for the project, though the reported filming dates may indicate it could arrive as late as 2028.