I knew there was a reason why there was a "RoboCop" movie marathon on this weekend. As you can see above, shots of the new version of everyone's favorite cyborg lawman have popped up courtesy of comingsoon.net. For those who've never seen the original, RoboCop used to look like the picture below.
For good or bad, there's a definite difference.
Joel Kinnaman replaces Peter Weller as the Detroit tin man. Upon hearing news of the remake back in June, Weller's been doubtful that the studio will be able to pull it off, telling the LA Times, "They've been trying to make another Robocop for, I don't know man... 30 years? I don't know, can they throw a lot of CGI at it... but the morality that's endemic to the movie you just watched [the original Robocop], it's hard to replicate. Good luck to them ... they'll never do it."
Hugh Laurie was in talks to play the role of Raymond Sellars, but contract negotiations broke down between Laurie and the film's producers. Clive Owen was seriously considered as a replacement but Michael Keaton was eventually cast in the role.
Allegedly, not much else is subject to change from the plot of the original. OCP's work with robotics is emphasized a bit more than in the previous film, a synopsis saying that the robotics they're creating is helping to win wars. The new movie takes place in the year 2028, while the first takes place in the "near future" of 1987. Hero cop Alex Murphy is wounded / killed in the line of duty, and it's the same old story from there.
Beyond Keaton and Kinnaman, "RoboCop" has a rather extensive cast of celebs, including stars like Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson, with Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Currently in pre-production, the film is set for release on August 9, 2013.