When it comes to remakes, it can be hit or miss. The majority of remakes are generally unwanted and unnecessary; these tend to be the horror remakes that get churned out every year. There are some exceptions to the rule: Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead, The Departed and Ocean's 11 come to mind when it comes to some of the better remakes in recent memory. Following the first trailer for another upcoming remake, this one looks like it's going to join the "exception" category.
Jose Padilha's version of futuristic Detroit and an updated take on OmniCorp and their half-man/half-machine investment comes to theaters in next year's RoboCop. Taking over for Peter Weller in the role of Alex Murphy is Joel Kinnaman, one of the stars of AMC's The Killing. There's no replacing Peter Weller, but Kinnaman looks like he fits into the suit pretty well.
The trailer also introduces a slew of other main characters of the film. Samuel L. Jackson plays a media mogul who uses his status as a symbol to control the down trodden city of Detroit. Gary Oldman plays Dr. Norton, the scientist who creates RoboCop (Miguel Ferrer, who played the original Bob Norton, has a small role in this film). Abbie Cornish plays Murphy's wife, and Michael Keaton plays the CEO of OmniCorp.
Much like the original, the remake looks like it's going to have plenty of action, but it remains to be seen if it's going to be as graphic as the 1987 original. One aspect that is sure to please fans of the original is the ED-209 sighting in the trailer, as well as Murphy's signature phrase, "Dead or alive, you're coming with me."
RoboCop is to be released February 7, 2014.