Actor Dan Stevens says the upcoming Prime Video television series based on the RoboCop franchise will heavily feature the satirical humor of the original film.
Stevens will star as a new version of the deceased police officer Alex Murphy in the streaming platform project. He said the blend of extreme violence and dark humor was a primary reason he decided to accept the lead role in the upcoming science fiction action show.
The original star of the franchise offered guidance on the tone of the new production. Stevens explained that Peter Weller specifically insisted that the new creative team maintain the satirical elements that defined the first movie. Weller played the titular cyborg in the original 1987 theatrical feature.
Almost four decades after the original release, RoboCop remains one of the defining science fiction properties of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Directed by Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, the first film told the story of a murdered Detroit police officer who is resurrected as a heavily armed cyborg.
The movie used its science fiction premise to launch a direct critique of corporate corruption, greed and the unchecked power of major corporations. The original film famously interspersed its main narrative with satirical news broadcasts and commercials, mocking American consumerism and media sensationalism.
In the film, a sprawling company called Omni Consumer Products was responsible for turning Murphy into a machine. The story was set in a dystopian near future version of Detroit, Michigan, where the fictional Omni Consumer Products corporation essentially privatised the local police force before implementing the cyborg program.
New television adaptation
The new streaming adaptation will recover the classic mix of action, extreme violence and dark comedy, but it will also introduce major changes to the story structure.
The plot will focus on a massive technology conglomerate that successfully convinces a city to add a powerful robot to its police department. This new law enforcement machine will operate using the implanted consciousness of a deceased human police officer who was well loved by the local citizens.
Prime Video is developing the character for what will be his fifth television series. Amazon acquired the rights to the property when it purchased the Metro Goldwyn Mayer movie studio in 2022.
The franchise previously spawned a live action show in 1994, multiple animated spin off shows and a television miniseries in 2001. A separate theatrical movie reboot was released in 2014 to a lukewarm reception. That version starred Joel Kinnaman as Alex Murphy, alongside Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton, but it failed to launch a new cinematic film series.
Franchise actors
Stevens first gained widespread international recognition playing Matthew Crawley in the acclaimed British historical drama series Downton Abbey. He later starred as the mutant David Haller in the superhero television series Legion, which showcased his ability to handle complex and surreal science fiction material. He also played the Beast in the live action Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
Weller originated the role of Alex Murphy and the cyborg he becomes in the original Verhoeven movie. He reprised the character in the 1990 sequel, but he did not return for the third film in the franchise.
The studio has ordered an eight episode season for the new television project. Prime Video has not yet announced an official release date for the show.
