When Amazon recently purchased MGM, they acquired the rights to the studio’s full catalog of titles, along with the ability redo many of these properties, as movies or TV shows, or both. According to a new report, the online retailer (and film and TV studio, and streaming service through its Prime Video app) is now reading a full slate of new content based on MGM classics.
According to the report, it is the MGM series that has the most potential in Amazon’s eyes Stargate, Legally Blonde, Reputation, Workshop, The Magnificent Seven, Pink panther and The Thomas Crown – and RoboCopthe 1987 sci-fi action film from director Paul Verhoeven.
The deadline reads “A-list creative backers have reached out to inquire about changing the MGM IP they’re pursuing. In addition, Amazon Studios has also been drawing on its own talent roster “to develop some of the properties above.” They also claim that RoboCop is being considered for “both film and TV, with a TV show possibly first.”
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Verhoeven the original RoboCop (written by Michael Miner & Edward Neumeier), spawned two sequels in addition to the poorly received 2014 reboot. It was also spun off into several animated series and a few unsuccessful attempts at live shows; latest, RoboCop: Prime directionspublished in 2001. There has not been a new one RoboCop on every screen since that 2014 film, which had the highest gross of any movie to date ($242 million) but also cost a lot more than any of the blockbusters as well ($130 million).
Most of the subgroup RoboCops has moved, by critics if not by fans, but the concept remains interesting. A human police officer is shot down in the line of duty and then Frankenstein comes back to life as a cyborg who must obey the orders of his superiors (and the evil corporation that polices in his dark future) . Inevitably, he rebels against his venal masters and tries to regain his lost humanity. Given the state of the world in 2023, that idea seems even more relevant than it was back in 1987.
Amazon’s plans to revive popular MGM properties are in addition to the company’s other efforts to mine the MGM library, including the previously reported Faith a universe of movies and TV shows, and whatever Amazon ends up with the James Bond series, which is currently between major actors.
