Neill Blomkamp is no longer working on the sequel announced to direct an R-rated continuation of Verhoeven's original film in July 2018.
Written by Justin Rhodes (confirmed the original RoboCop suit for the film this past June, but is now off the project altogether.
In an update posted to his Twitter , Blomkamp confirmed he's "off" RoboCop Returns, saying he's getting to work on a new horror-thriller and MGM "can't wait/need" to shoot the RoboCop sequel before he's available again. If the filmmaker has any hard feelings about the situation then he didn't show them in his tweet, adding he's "excited to watch [RoboCop Returns] in theaters with other fans". A search for Blomkamp's replacement is presumably already underway.
This isn't the first time Blomkamp's come close to directing a revival-continuation of a beloved sci-fi property, either. He previously left the movie firmly in his rearview mirror, as he's reiterated many times over by now.
No doubt, many felt Blomkamp fit the RoboCop franchise like a glove and were excited to see him return the series to Oats Studios, in the years since his last feature effort with Chappie. Perhaps it's best, then, he's ing on RoboCop Returns and fully channeling his creative energies into this mysterious horror-thriller he's got in the pipeline.
Source: Neill Blomkamp
