LITTLE MONSTERS Helmer to Direct ROBOCOP RETURNS

Abe Forsythe, the Australian filmmaker behind Lupita Nyong’o awesome horror comedy ‘Little Monsters,’ has been tapped to direct ‘RoboCop Returns’ for MGM and Orion, TheWrap has learned.

Starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen, Paul Verhoeven’s 1978 original was a satirical sci-fi action thriller set in a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, where a terminally wounded cop named Alex Murphy (Weller) returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

The film spawned a large franchise, including merchandise, two sequels, a television series, two animated series, video games, and a number of comic book adaptations/crossovers. A reboot of the film series was attempted back in 2014 with Jose Padilha directing and Joel Kinnaman in the title role; however, the film failed to impress.

‘Robocop Returns’ is a long-dormant sequel by the 1987 film’s screenwriters Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner. The plan was for Verhoeven to direct, but the filmmaker declined and a WGA strike in 1988 put the final nail in the coffin. Forward on 31 years and the project is back on the cards.

Forsythe replaces Neill Blomkamp (‘District 9,’ ‘Chappie,’ ‘Elysium’), who was originally set to direct but departed the sci-fi sequel to shoot an untitled horror thriller.