The Making of "Robocop's" Suits and Motorcycle

Even if Columbia Pictures' new action-thriller “RoboCop” has an existential element, there’s still plenty of cool factor. For the filmmakers, dabbling in robot technology was like an open playground. “One of the most exciting things to us – as filmmakers but also fans – was to create all the robots,” says producer Eric Newman.

Production designer Martin Whist, who designed the various iterations of RoboCop says that even as they let their imaginations run wild, the truth was right there to back them up. “Every idea we had for something RoboCop could do, it turns out, somebody is researching it now, in real life,” he says. “For example, there are people out there right now in the lab, who have sensors on their brains that allow them to move a robotic hand with their thoughts. We had this idea for a high-powered Taser gun – and it turns out that it’s being developed. Everything in the movie is based in reality.”

RoboCop himself has two separate and very different suits in the film. “The first suit was intentionally a tip of the hat to the original film and the original design,” Whist explains. “I wanted to stay with the coloration of the original design; the overall impression is silver, but – just like they did on the first film – we used a technique where there were multiple colors in it: there are magentas and deep blues in it. It’s a little less sophisticated than the second suit, a little boxier, a little less agile, and that was intentional to show the evolution from one RoboCop to the next.”

In designing RoboCop’s suits, Whist says that the second suit – the black suit – got the bulk of the attention from the designers. “The second suit was black, more visually sleek, designed, thought out, and a little more elegant and aggressive.”

To build the physical RoboCop suits, Whist worked with the team at Legacy Effects, one of Hollywood’s go-to sources for making visions become a reality as the creators of the Iron Man suit and other effects work.

RoboCop has two main weapons: a high-powered Taser that comes out of his thigh (again, a nod to the original film) and a gun that deploys from his forearm. Whist says that it was important to him to maintain a certain level of verisimilitude, even though he was obviously working in the realm of science fiction. “When we designed the Taser, I wanted it to truly make sense how it would come out, how it would deploy, how it would fit, and how that would translate to a real gun in his hand. We wanted it to seem real, to have a logic to it. It had to be a certain size – after all, it had to fit in the leg. And then we had to figure out how it would deploy in a cool way that he could grab onto.”

In designing a futuristic Taser, Whist wanted a design that would not involve a cord. “The Taser gun fires pellets, little flat discs. When you fire, the discs extend like a camping cup, and little fins come out as it propels through the air. When the pellet strikes something, it recompresses, and that compression pushes out a spike. The whole thing is an advanced battery that gives the victim a shock. It was a lot of fun figuring out the mechanics of how it would work.”

RoboCop’s other main weapon is a more traditional pistol that comes out of his forearm. “His arm plate flips open into a gun – it has a brace that goes onto his forearm, near his elbow, and then the gun goes into his hand – the idea is that when the gun recoils, it wasn’t putting all that pressure on his wrist. When I design things like that, I like to be as practical as possible, even though what I’m designing is far from practical. I want it to fit into the world – even though a high-powered Taser gun that pops out of a robot’s leg is a crazy idea, it should have some logic to it.”

Whist also designed the vehicles in the film, including RoboCop’s motorcycle. Based on a Kawasaki 1000, the design team made major modifications. “We modified the frame, extending the wheel base. It’s quite a bit longer than a normal bike, because I wanted RoboCop to take a leaning forward attack position when he’s on the bike. He’s quite big, and the normal bike looked too small under him. Then, we reclad the whole bike in armor, similar to the suit. He merges with the bike when he’s riding it – it looks like one unit. And finally, we redid all the lights and graphics, of course.”

“RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Abbie Cornish Plays the Loving Wife of "Robocop"

She impressed audiences with heartfelt performances in “W.E,” “Sucker Punch” and “A Good Year.” Now, Australian actress Abbie Cornish steps out of the shadows in Columbia Pictures' new action thriller “RoboCop” as she plays the strong-willed Clara Murphy, the wife of police officer Alex Murphy who becomes the film's titular character.

In “RoboCop,” the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years, but have been forbidden for law enforcement in America. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured, OmniCorp sees their chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer.

“Clara's a very grounded, strong and intelligent woman – a loving wife and mother,” says Cornish of her role. “Her family epitomizes a happy working middle class family, whose lives are then torn apart by the events that unfold in the film. However, the bond and connection between the Murphy's holds strong, and provides a very human and emotional through line to Alex's journey after he becomes RoboCop."

Cornish says that Clara is placed in the position of a particularly grim choice. “Sellars and Norton are looking for the most likely candidate to be transformed into RoboCop, and when they select Alex, it’s Clara who has to make the ultimate decision and sign the documentation,” she explains. “How do you make that choice? When you’re told that your husband will die without it, but if he goes forward with the procedure he will change entirely? What would you do?”

“I feel Clara Murphy is strong, caring and compassionate,” contnues Cornish. “She is grounded as a woman and very much within herself, embodying a lot of the things I believe women are in this day and age. I was very drawn to her from the beginning, and there was no doubt in my mind about who she was.”

Abbie Cornish, a native Australian, is an acclaimed young actress best known for her starring roles in the independent films “Candy” (2006) opposite Heath Ledger and “Somersault” (2004) with Sam Worthington, both Australian productions that garnered her Best Lead Actress awards from the Film Critics Circle of Australia. She was also awarded Best Lead Actress from the Australian Film Institute for “Somersault” and received a nomination for “Candy.” It was these two roles that earned her great notice in the U.S.
Now playing across the Philippines, “RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Joel Kinnaman, New Action Hero in "Robocop" (Opens Feb 5)

Man and machine unite in Columbia Pictures' “RoboCop,” a reimagining of the 1980s cult classic, starring actor-on-the-rise Joel Kinnaman (TV's “The Killing,” “The Darkest Hour”).

In the film, police officer Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) becomes the star product of OmniCorp, the world’s leading robotics defense company. In a Detroit ravaged by crime, OmniCorp sees an opening for the perfect policeman – a robot that can clean up the city, without putting police lives at risk. Trouble is, the idea of a robot pulling the trigger makes people anxious. To get it done, they compromise: after Murphy is mortally wounded, he wakes up in the hospital mostly a robot, barely a man at all – but all cop.

“OmniCorp’s idea is that they need a man inside the machine, a man who makes the decisions so the corporation won’t be held liable if something goes wrong,” says Kinnaman. “They leave his emotions intact in social situations, but when facing a threat or when a crime is committed, the computer takes over. When they realize his emotions make the system vulnerable, they completely shut them off. But when Alex comes in contact with his family, his emotions find a way back and override the computer system. He starts making his own decisions again.”

Kinnaman says he was attracted to play the role of Alex Murphy after meeting with director José Padilha. “José described his vision – his philosophical and political ideas that could fit inside the concept of RoboCop,” says Kinnaman. “You could use that concept to talk about a lot of other interesting things. He wanted to make a fun action movie that discusses philosophical dilemmas that we will face in the very near future. And I wanted to be a part of that.”

The issues aren’t just ethical or moral, but also very personal for Alex Murphy. “In the movie, people have to believe that the machine knows what it feels like to be human, so they keep Alex Murphy’s brain intact. He has all his emotions. He has all his memories. He has cognitive capabilities. However, he can’t hold his son or have sex with his wife,” says Padilha. “It’s a nightmare being Robocop. The movie is very much about the drama of this man facing the existential question – how am I going to go forward like this? Is Alex a machine or a human being?”

“We’re talking about a plausible future, but one that doesn’t exist yet,” says the actor. “Jose makes it very believable – not too outrageous or farfetched. We’re close to the world of this movie – we have bionic limbs, they’re attempting fake hearts. It’s still science fiction, but it’s a realistic leap in the future.”

Kinnaman says that, like many actors, being in costume helped him to portray the role – even if this costume was by far a greater challenge than he’d ever faced before. “The suit weighs about 45 pounds. It was constantly uncomfortable, constantly at the wrong temperature, either too hot or too cold. But that was very helpful. As awkward as I felt being in there, I realized that it paled in comparison to what Alex Murphy was feeling. I might have felt insecure and naked – because, weirdly, you don’t wear clothes in the suit – but Alex would have felt 100 times that weirdness. It completely helped my character.”

Despite the physical discomfort of the suit, Kinnaman sought to express the way that RoboCop represents the cutting edge in robotics through his character’s movements. Gone are the days of the clunky and jerky robotics. “They are getting very good at making humanoid droids move very realistically – for example, in Japan, they have nursing droids with very soft movements that give comfort to old people,” Kinnaman notes. “So the idea we had for RoboCop’s movement was that it would be superhuman: everything would work exactly as it should on a human body. He walks perfectly, extremely fluid.” Still, they couldn’t resist making a small nod to the past. “We also did want to make a small homage to the way Peter Weller moved – for example, when I was walking, I’d turn my head first and then the shoulders afterward.”

Opening across the Philippines in Feb. 05, 2014, “RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Robocop Director José Padilha on Remaking the Classic

In 1987, director Paul Verhoeven thrilled the world with “RoboCop,”the tale of a cyborg cop that patrols the streets of a futuristic Detroit in the name of justice. Now, filmmaker José Padilha (“Elite Squad”) reintroduces “RoboCop” when the science fiction that the original movie depicted in the 80’s is actually now closer to science than to fiction.

Columbia Pictures' “RoboCop” stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley and Jay Baruchel. The screenplay is by Joshua Zetumer, based on the 1987 motion picture written by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner.

Director Jose Padilha talks about re-inventing “RoboCop” in the following interview.

Q: How was the idea of remaking “RoboCop” born?

Jose Padilha: Around 3 years ago I went to a meeting at MGM, because they wanted to talk to me about some projects they had. They mentioned several movies they were interested in doing but that didn’t really appeal to me, until I saw they had a poster of the original “RoboCop” on the wall in the background and I said to them: ‘That’s the one I want to do!’

Q. Why did you want to do it?

Padilha: Because I wanted to shoot a movie that talked about the relation between fascism and the automation of law enforcement, like the first film already did; but make it more current, as we are on the verge of having to face this reality.

Q: What was the main premise of the story?

Padilha: We are in the future (2028) and all the superpowers are using robots for war, but in America they don’t allow them to be deployed domestically for law enforcement because there is a law that forbids the machine to pull the trigger. That was my take from day 1, in that room, and that is the movie we have shot.

Q: How was the process of finding the right actor to play the lead role of Alex Murphy/RoboCop?

Padilha: I spent a lot of time trying to find the right actor for this role, and Joel Kinnaman - after delivering a great first audition - was the one that kept coming back and doing it better and better. And even though we didn’t have a finished script then, but only a couple of scenes for him to read, every time he returned he just nailed it. And that kept on happening until the moment I said: ‘Guys, lets stop looking. We have him!’”

Q: What do you believe Joel Kinnaman brought to that complex character?

Padilha: He was very patient, because every day he had to arrive to set early in order to put the suit on. And, actually, he did a lot of action scenes himself in that suit! But, to me, the most important thing he did was to deliver the extraordinary performance of a man who has a wife and a son he really loves and then one day wakes up to realize that he almost died and that to save his life his wife consented to a procedure that turned him into a robot. Now, to face that reality and understand the limitations of being a robot (you can’t touch your wife or your son, or even sleep at home) are amazing dramatic circumstances that in this case had to be delivered only with his face and one hand, and Joel did it brilliantly.

Q: How does his wife Clara react to what happens?

Padilha: The character of Clara Murphy is very dramatic because she has a loving husband and son, who really needs his father, and then suddenly she is forced to see Alex in a life and death situation and make a decision under a gigantic amount of pressure: am I going to allow this procedure to be done to him with the chance of seeing him later or should I let him go?

Q. Australian actress Abbie Cornish plays Clara Murphy. What was required of her for that role?

Padilha: What was required of her was a pretty big range, because we see her with her husband as a happy couple but later also under a lot of stress. That’s not a role that can be played by any actress, but Abbie is just fantastic. The moment I saw her audition I knew she was Clara Murphy.

Q. And what can you say about Gary Oldman, who plays the scientist that makes the RoboCop project come to life?

Padilha: Gary is one of the most talented actors alive, who has complete control of the set and of the craft of his job. And, on top of that, he has this amazing talent to turn it on and off in a split second. He is so good that he can even make bad lines in a script work, which is something you have to be careful with because then you might not realize they weren’t bad lines in the first place… But Gary, of course, will tell you so.

Q. Michael Keaton portrays the head of OmniCorp, Raymond Sellars, the main villain of the story.

Padilha: Yes, but it is important to say that our villain is kind of grounded, manages a gigantic corporation and is also a genius. Michael created a character that was on the border between right and wrong, which was very smart. His performance in RoboCop is one of my favorites.

Q. Then you have Samuel L. Jackson as the media mogul Pat Novak, a huge supporter of the RoboCop program and OmniCorp’s plans to introduce law enforcement robots in America.

Padilha: He is just a force of nature as this media guy. When he steps onto the set every single camera looks at him.”

Q. How relevant are the themes of this film today?

Padilha: Paul Verhoeven created an iconic character that embodied the philosophical concept that automated law enforcement could lead to fascism. Funnily enough he did this in 1987, but now we are very close to this actually happening.

Q. Can you explain how close we are to this being a reality that we will have to deal with?

Padilha: If you open the newspaper every day you are going to end up reading about drones at least 50 times a year, if not more... Now they are piloted, but we are soon going to move on to drones that pilot themselves and robots that go to war and make their own decisions according to very sophisticated hardware and software without people being involved. This is going to happen. It was already in Verhoeven’s movie and it is also the reason I wanted to make this one, because what is being discussed in RoboCop is happening now and is going to be very prominent in the future

Q. So, what was your main goal with RoboCop?

Padilha: The challenge was to make a movie that touches key ideas about politics and about what it means to be human while still reaching a broad audience. You have to strike a balance between the drama and the fun, which you do by finding the right tone.

Opening across the Philippines in Feb. 05, 2014, “RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

Robocop Blasts Bad Guys in Second Trailer

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures have revealed the second trailer for highly anticipated action thriller “RoboCop” which may be viewed here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sgtot4Gqms&feature=c4-overview&list=UU9vXJYvgswrEHfNveILWM2Q.

In “RoboCop,” the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it.

When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees its chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

“RoboCop” is directed by Jose Padilha and stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The screenplay is by Joshua Zetumer, based on the 1987 motion picture written by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner. The film is produced by Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, with Bill Carraro and Roger Birnbaum serving as executive producers.





Opening across the Philippines in February 2014, “RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

ROBOCOP Now Sports a Mean Poster

Was only a matter of days before we get our first poster for Columbia Pictures' ROBOCOP remake film starring Joel Kinnaman.

Check out the entire poster below.



The cast: Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

The First Trailer for the ROBOCOP Remake is Here

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures have just rolled out the teaser trailer for they're upcoming action thriller

Directed by Jose Padilha, “RoboCop” stars Joel Kinnaman (TV's “Game of Thrones”), Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

The screenplay is by Josh Zetumer and Nick Schenk, based on the 1987 motion picture written by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner.

In “RoboCop,” the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it’s meant billions for OmniCorp’s bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

Opening across the Philippines in February 2014, “RoboCop” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. 

Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

New Stills from the Set of Robocop Remake

Here are a couple of stills from the set of the Robocop remake film starring Joel Kinnaman...

More photos plus my reaction to everything after the cut...

And Here's the New Robocop in His Battle Mode Plus the New ED-209

Leave it to Hollywood to make for some weird changes to a classic and fully working concept such as what they did to the new Robocop.

Rumor still has it that the new Robocop which is played by Joel Kinnaman will using a very unique armor so different from the armor used by Peter Weller. This is because (and I'm loosely basing it on the leaked script) the Kinnaman Robocop will have the ability to transform or rather upgrade to the more powerful 'combat mode'. 

Teaser Poster for Robocop

A new teaser for the upcoming Robocop remake film set for release on August 2013.

Set Pics from Robocop Remake

... looks nice. I'm not one to argue about the aesthetics but this new armor looks nice. It's a departure from the classic silver/chrome armor we're used to though.