Not due in theaters until August 9, 2013, Columbia and MGM Pictures is not wasting any time getting the promotional ball rolling for their rebooted version of "RoboCop," especially with Comic-Con 2012 right around the corner. The company has already begun a viral campaign for the reboot starring AMC's "The Killing" actor Joel Kinnaman (also the star of the upcoming foreign-language thriller "Easy Money"). Set in a crime-ridden future where a fatally wounded cop (Kinnaman) returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him, this initial "RoboCop" viral clip centers around OmniCorp, the company in the original picture that's building a future-age of law enforcement. This clip introduces the "battlefield tested" ED-209 design. Here's the company's manifesto.
For a half-century, these words have set the framework upon which OmniCorp has aimed to build a brighter world. We don't do passive technology. At OmniCorp, our solutions generate a beacon of safety that we shine upon on the dangers of the day. No matter the obstacle – political, cultural, philosophical – we pursue our convictions around the globe to secure peace of mind at home. And when this requires bold new direction, we never allow doubt to shrink our duty. When your quality of life is in the balance, our leadership team will tip the scales. Our products have elevated your lives. Our people have inspired your future. Our passion will always be at your side.
Directed by José Padilha ("Elite Squad" and its sequel), "RoboCop" will also star Hugh Laurie, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson and Abbie Cornish. We'd say MGM should have concerns because Kinnaman isn't exactly a household name yet, and doesn't have any other major roles between now and August 2013 that will elevate his Q-factor enough to launch a tentpole, but "RoboCop," like "The Amazing Spider-Man," is about the brand and not its stars (Andrew Garfield wasn't much of a star until this weekend). And arguably the sci-fi flick is even less about its star — whose face is covered for much of the film by the robotic cyborg suit — anyhow. Peter Weller sold that film well enough, but it's not like he went on to become a major A-lister afterwards, and it didn't hurt the film or its cult success. "RoboCop" made $53 million domestically in 1987, which adjusted for inflation is roughly $108 million. However, its legacy on DVD, laserdisc and even an early Criterion DVD, reveals that the brand is worth far more. Expect more viral clips to hit later in the week as we get closer to Comic-Con's launch.
"Peter Weller sold that film well enough, but it's not like he went on to become a major A-lister afterwards, and it didn't hurt the film or its cult success."
Umm, there's a difference between an actor that desperately tries to cultivate fame, and one who tries to grow artistically. Weller could have been more famous than he was, but decided to work with more challenging filmmakers like David Cronenberg, Woody Allen and Michael Tolkin. Can you honestly say that an actor who plays a drug-addicted, wife-killing gay poet is aiming for magazine covers?
As hesitant as I am about one of my favorite movies of all time being remade, at least technology will provide the comfort that everything will probably look as cool/better than the original. I hope so, anyways.
I'd buy that for a doller!