I don’t know how I feel about this one. My gut feeling is that I’m unhappy the decision to remake a modern classic like Robocop. I love Robocop, I even love the critically panned sequel, Robocop 2. I just thought that they both brought us to this synical world where anything was possible, including a dead cop being brought back to life as a machine to stop crime in the cirty of Old Detriot.

I’m going to try and go back to the old format of my blog where I would set up the article and send you to the extended link and you could read the rest and then I would comment on it. So enjoy.

from darkhorizons.com:

Aronofsky Officially On “Robocop”
By Garth Franklin
Friday, July 25th 2008 1:20pm

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) has signed Darren Aronofsky to direct and David Self to write a new installment for its “RoboCop” franchise. Aronofsky, the director of The Fountain, and Self, the writer of Road to Perdition, make a formidable creative team, fast tracking the RoboCop motion picture and spotlighting it as one of the most anticipated new films for 2010.

The announcement was made today by Mary Parent, Chairman, Worldwide Motion Picture Group, MGM. In making the announcement Parent said: “Darren is undeniably one of the most talented, original and visceral film makers, and David is one of the greatest writers in Hollywood. All of us at MGM couldn’t be more excited.”

Phoenix Pictures’ Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and David Thwaites will produce “RoboCop.” Cale Boyter, Executive Vice President Production at MGM will oversee the project for the studio.

Phoenix Pictures’ Chairman and CEO Mike Medavoy said: “After making the first ‘RoboCop’ at Orion more than 20 years ago, I’m thrilled to be helping to return this character to the screen with our partners at MGM and through the eyes of Darren Aronofsky and David Self.”

Phoenix co-presidents Brad Fischer and David Thwaites added: “With a filmmaker of Darren Aronofsky’s vision and imagination and a writer of David Self’s caliber, we are poised to bring to the screen an entertaining and provocative film, which will now be under the creative guidance of two of the best storytellers working in our industry today.”

The original RoboCop, which premiered in 1987, was “part man, part machine and all cop.” The film’s storyline focused on the future of law enforcement as a terminally wounded cop returns to the police force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories. The original film was nominated for two Academy Awards — Best Film Editing and Best Sound.

I think that the addition of Darren Aronofsky who did Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain is a great choice to direct it. I’m sure he’ll bring a lot of himself into this. But at the same time is he the smartest choice. We’ve never seen what he could do with someone else work, we’ve only seen him direct stuff that was something he wrote and this is a big movie. The original was directed by Paul Verhozen (I know the spelling is completely off of that one) who was the right man to direct Robocop. He is a visionary that allowed for the film to have the violent touches that would later cause Robocop 3 to crap out and crash on impact due to the fact that they “kiddied it up” and made it family friendly. You don’t do that with Robocop.

I do think that Darren Aronofsky is a great visionary as well, I mean if you need proof watch any of his three movies, he sees past what others see and you get a great film. But I just don’t think this is a movie for him. Its like the choice to have Spike Jonze direct the film version of Where the Wild Things Are. I don’t have anything against Spike Jonze, but the man who made Being John Malcovich, in my mind, has proven himself enough to make something like Wild Things. But guess what, I’ve seen some video of the special effects and it looks good. But I just haven’t seen a trailer or anything yet. Some of these guys that look at the world a little differently, who play to their own drummer, tend to make essentric films should shy away from movies like Robocop. I’m going to stop my rant and say, I don’t mind Aronofsky directing Robocop, I’ll allow for his one huge mainstream movie, just don’t F up Robocop and have it crash and burn on impact.

–Cos