Robocop Returns director Neil Blomkamp says Peter Weller is the only person who should play Robocop… and we agree whole-heartedly

We’ve known for a while now that District 9 director Neil Blomkamp is directing a sequel to Paul Verhoeven’s classic, Robocop.

But now we have proof that he’s the man for the job.

While he hasn’t really started working on Robocop Returns yet, the director was asked on Twitter who should play the Future of Law Enforcement for the new installment of the franchise which, as far as we know is ignoring Robocop 2, 3, the live action series, the animated series and the reboot. So technically this is now Robocop 2.

Anyway…

When he was asked who should play robocop his answer was simple…

Peter Weller.

Weller of course played Robocop in the original two movies (1987 and 1990) and is still an active actor today, although with the original now 31 years behind us, he’s obviously considerably older.

 

Now, obviously this isn’t conformation that Weller could OR would return to the role – that suit alone would be a serious chore to wear we’d imagine, however, if they did got that route, then you could expect a Termintor-type explanation that the human element of the character ages.

That would mean the movie would likely take place in the modern day.

Talking previously about the movie, Blomkamp had this to say:  “I loved it then and it remains a classic in the end of 20th Century sci-fi catalog.

“With real meaning under the surface. Hopefully that is something we can get closer to in making of a sequel. That is my goal here. What I connected to as a kid has evolved over time. At first, the consumerism, materialism and Reaganomics, that ’80s theme of America on steroids, came through most strongly. But As I’ve gotten older, the part that really resonated with me is identity, and the search for identity. As long as the human component is there, a good story can work in any time period, it’s not locked into a specific place in history.

“What’s so cool about RoboCop is that like good Westerns, sci-fi films and dramas, the human connection is really important to a story well told. What draws me now is someone searching for their lost identity, taken away at the hands of people who are benefiting from it, and seeing his memory jogged by events. That is most captivating. The other thing I am excited by is the chance to work again with Justin Rhodes. He has added elements that are pretty awesome, to a sequel that was set in the world of Verhoeven. This is a movie I would love to watch.”

Same universe? In subsequent interviews he also said it would be practical and bloody as hell, so we’re totally onboard.

Are you?