'RoboCop' Reboot: This Is How You Do It

by Joel Hanek With little known about it other than an expectation that every review of this movie will include the word "gritty," the "RoboCop" reboot has loomed over us for months but without much information. With Jose Padilha at the helm (a director who's no stranger to action and police corruption as seen in his "Elite Squad" films) and screenwriter Nick Schenk ("Gran Torino") on board the project, the film has plenty of potential for an awesome adaptation. But unless it finds the perfect blend of action, allegory, and camp that Paul Verhoeven concocted, there is plenty of potential to fall flat. That's why we're here to help. Keep reading for ways to properly reboot "RoboCop" for a new age! WHY WE NEED IT: I will admit I was a late comer to the original 1987 Verhoeven sci-fi classic, but once I remedied that absence from my film repertoire, it instantly became one of my favorites. Sure, looking back the effects and anachronistic ideas of the future in the '80s make some parts feel hokey, but the story is timeless: corporate corruption, police corruption, distrusting the system, and standing up for what's right. The 99% crowd can definitely get behind the themes about the blue collared robot from the Rustbelt. Aside from all that: there are cyborgs, some awesome murder-bots that could use a CGI facelift, and the amount of gore in it would make even Eli Roth and the Human Centipede him/herself blush. WHO WILL PLAY DETROIT'S FAVORITE CYBORG ENFORCER? Officer Alex Murphy is a tricky role: at first, he's the over-the-top, almost naive, do-gooder and once he's transformed into the RoboCop he's the stoic face that somehow still commands a monosyllabic charm. While Michael Fassbender's name has been thrown around as the successor to Peter Weller's metallic exoskeleton, the latest murmer from the rumorsphere points to "The Killing" star Joel Kinnaman being offered the role. Both of these guys could answer the call to duty - but why not play up the "Everyman" aspect of the role - aka, a non-action star? Someone with the cold authority of a Michael Shannon or the familiar dashing scowl of Jon Hamm. To juxtapose the reigned demeanor of RoboCop, the film's villians are wacky and embellished to fill the space. Why not choose an actor who will have fun with it and play it big? The middle-American druglord Clarence Boddicker could be played by someone who's always on the brink of shouting on screen, like a Phillip Seymour Hoffman or John C. Reilly. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN REBOOTING: Avoid the CGI. Certain aspects of Robocop could be updated with a grace and fluidity that CGI offers such as the ED-209 robots that stalk Delta City - but when it comes to the cyborg himself, leave that to the costume (in other words: don't "Green Lantern" this one, you guys). Officer Anne Lewis. Give her a little more character development, please! And for the love of Verhoeven, please include this somewhere in the movie! The unavoidable reboot treads heavily on the hallowed ground of our beloved classic movies. Since Hollywood's going to destroy everything you've ever loved anyway, let's ride together with the Four Horsemen and embrace the apocalypse of our cinematic nostalgia! Tune into Reboot for more sardonic stupidity, or subject yourself to it willingly by following @joelhanek on Twitter!

Ratings Pit Of Debt: Boss Slips, Shark Tank Increases, Fringe Inches Up During The Cold Months Several weeks Finale

CBS’ Undercover Boss (1.9/9 in grownups 18-49, 8.6 000 0000 audiences) dropped 21% in 18-49 in the large Friday premiere the other day but nevertheless ranked since the top program in the evening inside the 18-49 demographic. The reality series appeared to become most likely probably the most seen show the other day but that title came back to CBS’ Friday staple Blue Bloods (1.7/5, 11.2 million), which was up 6% inside the demo from the other day. Sandwiched between Undercover Boss and Blue Bloods at 9 PM will be a Gifted Guy (1.3/4, 9.millions of) which didn’t help its renewal chances getting a 13% drop from the other day’s time slot premiere. As Undercover Boss declined, ABC’s Shark Tank (1.8/6) and Fox’s Kitchen Bad dreams or nightmares (1.5/5) came back back, up 20% and 15%, correspondingly, from the other day after they were pressed lower by Undercover Boss’ debut. Shark Tank matched up up its best 18-49 result for just about any regularly scheduled episode. The Friday 8 PM hour is shaping up one of the better inside the unscripted arena with 3 solid shows, Undercover Boss, Shark Tank and Kitchen Bad dreams or nightmares, duking it. NBC’s Grimm (1.5/5) was lower a tenth returning from another preemption. (NBC’s organizing team must really hate the fairytale/horror drama, never enabling it to function continuous more than 2-three days.) Grimm still won the 9 PM hour in 18-49. Its lead-in, Who You Think You are? (.9/3), was lower 25%. Meanwhile, during the cold months finale, Fox’s Fringe (1.2/4) shown signs and signs and symptoms of existence, up a tenth within the series low it had been stuck at for the days. From 9-11 PM, ABC dropped within the highly-rated two-hour 20/20 special about Whiteney Houston the other day (2./6) with How Does One React? (1.4/4) and 20/20 (1.2/4). That aided NBC’s Dateline (1.3/4), which was up 2 tenths at 10 PM. The CW broadcast repeats.

Dennis Quaid & Michael Chiklis Set To Star In CBS Take advantage of Lamb Period Drama Pilot

Dennis Quaid-Michael Chiklis In Talks For Las vegas Drama Pilot After extended discussions, Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis have closed deals to star in CBS’ untitled Take advantage of Lamb drama pilot, put together by Goodfellas author Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Master and directed by James Mangold. Within the Television show debut, Quaid may have the title role inside the project, occur the sixties and centered on the actual story of Take advantage of Lamb (Quaid) rodeo cowboy switched longtime Sheriff of Las vegas- and Johnny Savino (Chiklis), a Chicago mob fixer whose business vision for altering Las vegas collides while using law-and-order mandate of Sheriff Lamb. Furthermore to starring, Quaid and Chiklis, both repped by WME, assists as co-executive producers round the Take advantage of Lamb project, that's executive produced by Pileggi, Mangold, Master, Trina Konrad and Arthur Sarkissian. CBS TV Art galleries is creating. Round the TV side, feature actor Quaid is doing numerous TV movies, most recently playing Bill Clinton in Cinemax’s The Special Relationship, which acquired him and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He'll next be viewed within the Sundance movie What, that's being compiled by CBS sister CBS Films. Chiklis’ casting originates from the expansionOrexpertise holding deal CBS signed while using the Emmy-winning Shield alum behind his casting inside the network’s comedy pilot Vince Uncensored last season. His previous series gig will be a starring role inside the ABC drama No Regular Family. Chiklis is handled by Management 360. Take advantage of Lamb was Clark Countys longest-serving and several famous sheriff who was simply in charge for just two decades from 1961 to 1979. Known to as cowboy sheriff while he was frequently seen riding his equine, Lamb up-to-date the department, introduced in the modern crime lab, come up with the citys first SWAT team and oversaw the merger in the Las vegas as well as the county police agencies to the Metropolitan Police Department.But he was probably most broadly noted for his tough stance round the Mafia, which still controlled a lot of the casinos in those days. He infamously roughed upChicago mobster Johnny Rosselli in public areas and sent him to jail. After making bail, Rossellis was not ever mind from again untilhis corpse is discovered floating in the 55-gallon oil drum off Miami 10 years later. The setting in the Take advantage of Lamb series resembles Pileggis non-fiction book Casino, in regards to the Mafias final glory days in Vegas inside the seventies. Pileggi co-written with Martin Scorsese the script for Scorseses feature adaptation of Casino, like the two labored with on Scorseses 1990 classic Goodfellas, based on Pileggis book Wiseguy.

'Safe House' surges to top place at B.O.

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star within the Universal thriller 'Safe House.'In a remarkable surge to No. 1 in the domestic B.O., Universal's Denzel Washington starrer "Safe House" made over President's Day weekend an believed three-day take of $24 million, using the studio projecting the pic to earn $28.5 million in four days."Safe House," in the second outing, dropped just 40% utilizing a three-day weekend comparison. Overall four-day B.O., meanwhile, was up roughly 10% over last year's holiday frame.Overseas, the U pic collected $six million from 35 areas, getting its worldwide tally to $19.six million. Through Monday, "Safe House's" believed worldwide cume stands at $102.4 million.A The new sony pair nabbed the next Stateside ratings: Holdover weeper "The Vow" gained an incredible four-day gross of $27.4 million, then newcomer "Ghost Driver: Spirit of Vengeance" (allocated for any reported $57 million), which first showed a great believed $25.5 million through Monday."The Vow," from Screen Gems and Spyglass Entertainment, has cumed an outstanding $85.5 million locally in ten days, which makes it already the greatest-grossing pic ever for Screen Gems.Also bowing a few days ago, Fox's romantic actioner "What This Means Is War" gained a good $17.six million in 72 hours. That's with "The Vow" still bringing in a powerful share of publish-Valentine's couples and feminine audiences.Disney's Studio Ghibli toon "The Key Realm of Arrietty" made in four days an forecasted $8 million, which makes it the greatest Stateside debut for that Japanese toon shop. Consider, however, "Arrietty" opened up the largest associated with a Ghibli pic at 1,522 domestic locations.Though because the best choice for families, Warner Bros.-New Line's holdover "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" collected an believed $20.a million through Sunday, lower only 27% in the pic's three-day opening last week. "Journey 2" has totalled to date $53.two million locally. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com