Iconic ’80s cult classic is now getting its own TV series

Iconic 1987 cult hit film RoboCop is being rebooted for the small screen by Amazon Prime. Variety reports that Amazon has ordered an initial eight episodes, with Michael Miner and Ed Neumeier, the co-creators and co-writers of the original film, on board as executive producers. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, the influential 1987 sci-fi film is set in a future version of Detroit where cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is murdered by criminals and revived as a cyborg law enforcer. In the Amazon RoboCop, “a giant tech conglomerate convinces the city to place a powerful robot on its police force–a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer.” Amazon has been developing a new RoboCop since acquiring the MGM studio catalog and IP in 2022. Praised as one of the greatest sci-fi films of the 1980s, the original spawned RoboCop 2 in 1990 and RoboCop 3 in 1993, as well as a remake in 2014 which grossed $242.6 million despite mixed reviews. There have also been two animated versions of RoboCop aimed at children and two live-action shows, as well as video games and comic books as part of the franchise. Co-creator of Saw, James Wan, will serve as executive producer for Amazon Prime. “I’ve been a massive fan of RoboCop forever, so getting to help bring this world to television is a dream,” Wan said. Stating the 1987 original was “decades ahead of its time,” Wan said, “questions about technology, identity, and who corporations really serve have only grown more urgent.” As yet, there is no official release date for the reboot.

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