Dan Stevens is the new RoboCop, because of course he is. In a move that’s as surprising as a sunrise in the east, the actor known for his roles in Downton Abbey, Legion, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, will don the iconic suit in the upcoming RoboCop TV series on Amazon’s Prime Video. Because what’s more original than rebooting a classic franchise for the umpteenth time?
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The series, which has been described as a back-to-basics reboot of the entire RoboCop concept, will follow the story of a giant tech conglomerate that convinces a city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer. Sounds like a recipe for a thought-provoking commentary on technology, identity, and corporate influence, or just a excuse to blow things up and have a shiny new suit. James Wan, who’s producing the series through his Atomic Monster production company, seems to think it’s the former, saying “What Paul Verhoeven created in 1987 was decades ahead of its time, and its questions about technology, identity, and who corporations really serve have only grown more urgent.” One can only assume he said this with a straight face.
The Never-Ending Cycle of Reboots
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time RoboCop has been rebooted. In fact, it’s not even the first time in recent memory. Back in 2014, Joel Kinnaman played the role in a movie that was, surprise surprise, also a reboot. And let’s not forget the original, which was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Peter Weller as the iconic law enforcement officer. One can only assume that the powers that be have decided that the world is just not RoboCop-ed enough, and that we need another iteration to really drive the point home. Because, you know, the original message of corporate greed and technological overreach is just not relevant enough in today’s world.
The new series has all the makings of a classic reboot: a familiar title, a beloved character, and a shiny new coat of paint. And, of course, it’s being produced by a major studio, because what’s a reboot without a healthy dose of marketing and merchandise tie-ins? It’s a wonder the Merchandising Department didn’t get a producer credit. Somewhere, an executive is probably already thinking about how to turn this into a trilogy, because why settle for just one movie or TV series when you can have three?
The State of Hollywood
It’s hard not to feel a sense of exhaustion when it comes to reboots and remakes. It seems like every other movie or TV series is a rehashing of something that’s already been done before. And don’t even get me started on the so-called “shared cinematic universes” that seem to be all the rage these days. It’s all just a big game of nostalgia-fueled Monopoly, where the goal is to see how many familiar titles and characters can be shoehorned into a single franchise. And the worst part is, it seems to be working. People eat this stuff up like candy, and the studios are more than happy to oblige, because hey, why take a risk on something new and original when you can just rehash the same old thing and guarantee a certain level of success?
As the Content Mines continue to operate at full capacity, churning out reboots and remakes like they’re going out of style, it’s hard not to wonder what’s next. Will we see a reboot of The Princess Bride? A remake of The Big Lebowski? The possibilities are endless, and the executives are no doubt salivating at the prospect of tapping into our nostalgia and separating us from our hard-earned cash. And so the cycle continues, with each new reboot and remake a reminder that, in the end, it’s all just about the bottom line. Because in Hollywood, familiarity is always more important than originality, and the pursuit of profit is always the top priority.
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
