“RoboCop” is coming to Prime Video. A new eight-episode series based on the movie franchise from Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Atomic Monster has been greenlit and is planned to premiere exclusively on the streamer, the company announced on Tuesday.
First released in 1987, “RoboCop” was directed by Paul Verhoeven and co-written by Edward Neumeier. The movie follows Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), a Detroit police officer who gets murdered by a gang of criminals and is brought back to life by a mega-corporation as a cyborg law enforcement officer. The movie started as social satire that eviscerated corporate greed, privatization and identity, but as it grew in popularity, “RoboCop” has become an iconic piece of science fiction. The movie has spawned sequels films, TV shows, video games and comic books.
Peter Ocko, best known for his work on “Lodge 49” and “Pushing Daisies,” will serve as executive producer, showrunner and writer for the upcoming Prime Video series. James Wan, known for his work on “Saw” and the “Conjuring” universe, will EP through Blumhouse Atomic Monster alongside Michael Clear and Rob Hackett. Co-executive producer Danielle Bozzone will oversee the series on behalf of the company. Neumeier will also EP.
“I’ve been a massive fan of ‘RoboCop’ forever, so getting to help bring this world to television is a dream,” Wan said in a Tuesday statement. “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. With Peter’s distinctive vision and bold approach to storytelling, and alongside Ed and our partners at Amazon MGM Studios, we’re working to honor what made the original iconic and highlight its relevancy in this modern, tech-driven world, while building something unmistakably new for a global audience.”
“‘RoboCop’ is a franchise that has meant something to audiences for nearly four decades — not just as an action spectacle, but as a sharp, provocative mirror of our relationship with technology and power,” added Peter Friedlander, head of global television for Amazon MGM Studios. “Peter Ocko has crafted a vision that honors the soul of what made the original so enduring while building something entirely fresh and urgent for today. Paired with the cinematic sensibility of James Wan and the team at Blumhouse Atomic Monster, we believe this series will captivate a whole new generation of fans on Prime Video.”
