Thanks to Cult Screenings UK and Red Rock entertainment, diehard RoboCop fans will soon have a rare chance to peek behind the scenes and be “present at the creation” of Paul Verhoeven’s classic film. A soon-to-be-released documentary, RoboDoc: the Creation of RoboCop, has just been finished, co-directed by Christopher Griffiths and Eastwood Allen.
The new documentary offers never-before-seen perspectives on the shooting of the original RoboCop release in 1987 and RoboCop2, which appeared on screens three years later. According to industry press reports, RoboDoc includes a lengthy interview with star Peter Weller as well as a phalanx of other performers including Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Bart Mixon, Kurtwood Smith, Phil Tippett, and Ray Wise. Weller was ultimately chosen for the role over a list of contenders that included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Ironside, and Keith Carradine, among others.
As Red Rock spokesperson Gary Collins told Deadline this week: “There has never been a documentary film quite like RoboDoc and the unique access to archive, exclusive interviews, attention to detail and a stunning visual ethos make this film a truly unique production and one that we are very proud to be a part of.”
A posting on the CultScreenings website describes RoboCop as “one of the most iconic and successful movies of the 1980s, a movie that was well a head [sic] of its time and has left a lasting impression on fans across the globe. RoboCop is a movie that many fans watched as children when they were too young to understand the social commentary of this R-Rated movie, yet they were instantly hooked on the future of law enforcement.”
The CultScreenings site added that Peter Weller “gave us an electrifyingly animated interview and covered details about all aspects we’d never heard before.” It also quoted documentary director Christopher Griffiths, who stated: “To say that RoboCop is a big part of my life is an understatement. Just ask anybody who knows me. It is the film that started it all from me at an age when I probably shouldn’t have been watching it like many others, but I did and I have grown up with it and found new things each time I watch it.
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Set in Detroit, Verhoeven’s film was inspired by the iconic 1982 film Blade Runner, also set in a dystopic future. RoboCop portrayed a slain officer who reemerges as a cyborg manufactured by Omni Consumer Products. Released by Orion Pictures, it racked up more than million in box office receipts and won a 1988 Oscar for Best Sound Editing.
Here’s the Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvOUmy2ohis