Jose Padilha’s RoboCop remake could have just gotten a big boost of star power. The story comes from The Tracking Board, which has had some hits and misses when it comes to scoops, but they’re reporting that Edward Norton, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Rebecca Hall are attached to the action remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 film about a cyborg police officer. More details below.

Here’s what The Tracking Board had to say about the roles each actor would be playing in the new version, which will feature “The Killing” star Joel Kinnaman as the robotic enforcer this time around:

Edward Norton is circling to, fittingly enough, play the role of Norton, the brilliant mastermind behind bringing Robocop to life…Also circling are Gael Garcia Bernal and Rebecca Hall in strong supporting roles. Bernal would look to be cast as Jack Lewis, Alex’s dashingly handsome police partner who eventually begins a relationship with Hall’s character, Clara, Alex’s former wife before his transformation into Robocop.

There is strong interest in Sean Penn to assume the role of Novack, a right-wing news reporter who sticks to his guns when it comes to his political views.

Norton is one of those guys that can slip into any role and really make it his own, while Bernal has been able to find success in multiple genres (and could very well be Zorro in a new reboot of that franchise). Hall’s totally underrated performances in The Prestige and The Town are both excellent, so I’m hoping this story ends up being true because I’d like to see all of these people working together in a high profile project like this.

Thoughts?

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MTV recently had a chance to speak with RoboCop star Joel Kinnaman, and the actor spoke a lot about the differences between his upcoming film and Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 version. He called director Jose Padhila “a badass” and “the real deal,” and even addressed his character’s iconic visor.

This film will be a lot more realistic than the ’87 original, and Kinnaman has said before that this movie will better explore the time between when Alex Murphy is shot and when he becomes RoboCop.

“There’s a lot of neuroscience now raising the question, ‘Is all the intelligence in the human body in the brain?’ and they’re finding out that, no, it’s not like that,” Kinnaman said. “The body has intelligence itself, and we’re much more of an organic creature in that way. It’s not a control tower that does everything.”

He also said his take on the character will be a lot more expressive than previous attempts, thanks in part to the costume design:

” ‘RoboCop’ is going to be a lot more human,” Kinnaman said. “The first movie is one of my favorite movies. I love it. Of course, Verhoeven has that very special tone, and it’s not going to have that tone. It’s a re-imagination of it. There’s a lot of stuff from the original. There are some details and throwbacks, but this version is a much better acting piece, for Alex Murphy and especially when he is RoboCop. It’s much more challenging…It’s not going to be jaw action. They’re still working on the suit and how it’s going to look, but the visor is going to be see-through,” he said. “You’re going to see his eyes.”

I haven’t seen enough of Kinnaman’s work to offer a legitimate opinion about whether he’s right for the part, but I’m stoked about this project because I don’t think the original film holds up very well and it seems like the perfect movie to update with today’s technology. Padhila also really impressed me with Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, so I’m looking forward to see his kinetic visual style applied to this character. What do you think?

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Last week we heard that Joel Kinnaman had been offered the lead role in MGM’s RoboCop remake. Now the actor, who is best known for his role in The Killing but has also had small parts in Safe House and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake, has officially signed on to play Officer Alex J. Murphy.

The news come from Deadline, and MGM’s plan is to shoot later this year with Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) at the helm. Gran Torino screenwriter Nick Schenk was hired earlier this month to rewrite the script by Josh Zetumer.

The original 1987 film followed a cop brought back from the dead and drafted to become a remorseless and ruthless cyborg cop. That plan is subverted when suppressed memories of his past life come back to haunt him.

What are your thoughts on the casting? Can Kinnaman carry a film where he’s required to act through a helmet for a good chunk of the movie?

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MGM’s remake of RoboCop has been in development for a few years, but now that the studio has emerged from its recent financial troubles, it looks like the project is on the fast track. Jose Padilha, who directed Elite Squad and the excellent Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, is directing, and according to Deadline, the studio has just made an offer to Joel Kinnaman to play the titular hero.

Kinnaman is a Swedish actor who stars in AMC’s television series “The Killing,” but recently he’s appeared in small roles in Safe House and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake. He also starred in Safe House director Daniel Espinosa’s popular film Snabba Cash (aka Easy Money), and will be reprising his role in a sequel. I haven’t seen Kinnaman in a large role before, so I’m not sure how he’ll handle carrying an entire film – and franchise, most likely – on his shoulders. But I’m confident Padilha’s direction will make this version of RoboCop worthwhile. I watched Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 original recently, and this may be movie geek blasphemy, but it’s not very good. I’m hoping Padilha and writer Josh Zetumer can update the story and give us a movie that will stand the test of time and avoid the dated feel of the first film.

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Forget Groundhog Day – call it Russell Crowe Day. Following the announcement that Darren Aronofsky wants Russell Crowe to play Noah in his upcoming Biblical epic, we’ve got a few more tidbits of news regarding the Academy Award-winning actor.

Variety’s Jeff Sneider tweeted the following last night:

Sure, Russell Crowe, MIGHT star in Aronofsky’s NOAH… but do you know what else he MIGHT star in? Three words: Ro. Bo. Cop. #FloatThisBoat

Again, not a huge confirmation, but something to keep in mind as the movie, set to be directed by Jose Padilha (Elite Squad: The Enemy Within), comes together over the next few months before it starts shooting this summer.

Also, Akiva Goldsman – best known as the writer of the godawful Batman & Robin, but who has also produced things like Mr. and Mrs. Smith and I Am Legend - is set to make his directorial debut on a movie called Winter’s Tale. Vulture says (via The Playlist) that Goldsman’s adaptation of the 1983 novel had previously stalled, but has now gained considerable momentum with the addition of (guess who?) Russell Crowe and Will Smith in supporting roles. The story sounds pretty interesting:

New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake–orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.

Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.

Peter Lake, a simple, uneducated man, because of a love that, at first he does not fully understand, is driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and beseiged by unprecedented winters, is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature.

Crowe is in talks to play Pearly Somes, a gangster set on killing the burglar, while Smith would play a judge. So go forth everyone, and Happy Russell Crowe Day.

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According to Heat Vision Gran Torino screenwriter Nick Schenk has been hired by MGM to work on the Robocop remake.

The current plan is to begin shooting in the summer, however MGM have yet to find their leading man. Director Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) said last year that he wanted Michael Fassbender for the role, but Chris Pine was also thought to be in contention at one point.

MGM and Padilha have a month or two before they need to think about casting, depending on the progress of the script. With the character having his face covered for a good section of the movie they’ll need an actor who can act through the helmet, like Peter Weller did in 1987, so getting an actor with the acting chops required should be MGM’s priority.

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Things have been quiet on the RoboCop reboot front since Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) was hired by MGM in March to direct. Screenwriter Josh Zetumer said filming wouldn’t begin until the script was “good enough”, and it must be getting near to that stage as MGM are apparently eyeing a number of actors to lead the film, with one particular actor in mind.

From Twitch:

Does the world want a younger, prettier Robocop? Apparently MGM does as Twitch has learned that the Star Trek actor is the studio’s top choice to take the lead in the upcoming reboot of the scifi franchise. There is no word as to whether director Jose Padilha agrees with the selection and the offer has not yet gone out but we’re told Pine currently tops the MGM casting list.

If this pans out then it will represent a dramatic shift in the character. At the age of 30 Pine is a full decade younger than Peter Weller was when he first took on the role and much more a heart-throb movie star than Weller ever was.

Pine will be busy shooting the Star Trek sequel whenever that gets into gear (likely towards the end of 2011), but he’s got nothing planned for 2012 yet so he could potentially take on the role if he wanted it. With the character having his face covered for a good section of the movie they’ll need an actor who can act through the helmet, like Peter Weller did in 1987, so getting an actor with the acting chops required should be MGM’s priority.

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Brazilian director Jose Padilha was hired by MGM earlier this month to reboot their RoboCop franchise with screenwriter Josh Zetumer. In a recent interview Padilha spoke about working on the film, and says filming will begin once the script is “good enough”.

From Motion TV Online (via SHH):

Q: This is something that can work out really well or… I mean, because there’s a lot of expectations around this, how are your expectations?
Padilha: I have no concerns about it. I only work on movies when it feels right, when I add something of my own way of portraying things. I make movies for myself and I don’t feel nervous, I have no problem with expectations, and if the movie is going to work or not. I just look forward to keep its integrity and directing it the best way I can, all the rest doesn’t concern me.

Q: MGM was looking for a globally appealing director. Why do you think they chose you?
Padilha: I don’t know. I think they saw my movies and felt there was something there that could bring to the present day this controversial, yet different, violent movie which is RoboCop without misrepresenting it.

Q: So when can we expect RoboCop to come out?
Padilha: It’s a project I’m developing from the very beginning together with Josh Zetumer, which is the screenwriter, and there’s no deadline really. When the screenplay turns out good enough, then we will start shooting.

Padilha gained attention from his crime drama Elite Squad and its sequel which came out in 2010. They were Portuguese language films and only had festival and DVD runs in the U.S., but Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within grossed over $60 million in Brazil alone last year, more than Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

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Earlier this month we heard that MGM were zoning in on Brazilian director Jose Padilha to direct their RoboCop reboot, and now according to Deadline the studio has hired Josh Zetumer to write the script. Both Padilha and Zetumer will work together on the script in order to get it ready for filming.

None of Josh Zetumer’s scripts have been made into movies yet, but he’s been involved with some high-profile projects. His spy thriller script Infiltrator is set-up at Warner Bros. with Leonardo DiCaprio attached, and he also wrote drafts of Dune for Peter Berg before it fell back into development hell. Zetumer also wrote the script for Bourne 4, however Universal decided to reboot the franchise instead after director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon decided not to return.

The original RoboCop movie hit screens in 1987 with director Paul Verhoeven and took place in a dystopic and crime ridden Detroit, where a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him. Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky was attached to the reboot last year until MGM hit financial trouble, and now he is busy working on The Wolverine.

With The Hobbit on the verge of filming and Bond 23 in pre-production MGM are hoping to make RoboCop its first major franchise.

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Two weeks ago we heard that MGM were moving forward with their plans for a RoboCop reboot having emerged from bankruptcy. The movie, which previously had Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky in charge, was put on hold last year due to MGM’s financial situation. However with Aronofsky now set to direct The Wolverine MGM have been looking for other potential directors, and they may have found one.

According to Deadline MGM is negotiating with Brazilian director Jose Padilha to direct the film. The original hit screens in 1987 with director Paul Verhoeven and took place in a dystopic and crime ridden Detroit, where a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

It is likely Jose Padilha will be starting again from scratch, and won’t be filming Aronofsky script written by David Self (Road to Perdition). Padilha gained attention from his crime drama Elite Squad and its sequel which came out in 2010. They were Portuguese language films and only had festival and DVD runs in the U.S., but Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within grossed over $60 million in Brazil alone last year, more than Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

With The Hobbit on the verge of filming and Bond 23 in pre-production MGM are hoping to make RoboCop its first major franchise.

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