For some time we have known that Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) was going to be writing and directing a sequel to the original RoboCop movie called RoboCop Returns. This sequel (like his plans for Aliens prior) would dismiss the other sequels and play as a direct sequel to the original movie. Frankly, I was as excited by this as I was disappointed that the same wouldn’t be happening with Aliens.
However, some breaking news directly from Blomkamp himself through social media today confirms that he is out of RoboCop Returns as director. Check out Blomkamp’s post below for the details.
Off Robocop. I am shooting new horror/thriller and MGM can’t wait/ need to shoot Robocop now. Excited to watch it in theaters with other fans. N
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) 15 August 2019
This is a real blow for me, because Blomkamp seemed to have a very particular vision of where this sequel/reboot would go. Without him at the helm, who knows how it will affect the movie as a whole? For me, without the business knowledge I’d say this is a mistake on MGM’s part, but who knows what factors they are using in this decision?
I guess MGM will be on the lookout for another director to take this picture forward based on Blomkamp’s script? Who that will be and when we hear is anyone’s guess, but one would expect it to happen sooner rather than later, given the tight timescales. I certainly hope that the decision is one of scheduling as Blomkamp says and not because MGM got cold feet and decided they didn’t want a full reboot, but you just never know with Hollywood?
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Am I the only one hoping that Disney wise up and hire Blomkamp to make that Aliens sequel he was planning with Newt, Hicks and Ripley? Surely that’s a franchise that has been mishandled and yet there is still a lot of money to be made from if the right story appears.
What do you think of this news, are you bummed Blomkamp is out, or were you not a fan of this idea to begin with? Leave your comments below or there will be…trouble.
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SOURCE: Neill Blomkamp (via Twitter)