Will Jay Baruchel Step Into Miguel Ferrer’s Shoes For ‘RoboCop’?
Last week, when Jackie Earle Haley wasreportedto be one of the latest additions toJose Padilha’s newRoboCopfilm,Jay Baruchelwas reported as another likely addition. Now he’s been confirmed, and we know that Baruchel will play, perTHR,“the head of marketing for Omnicorp, the company that is building the police cyborg.”
In Paul Verhoeven’s original film, part of the script’s satirical approach was articulated through fake TV shows and ads cut into the narrative. The spots for the family board game’Nuke ‘Em’and the giant6000 SUX sedancontribute little to the story, but they tell us a lot about the world in which the tale takes place, and how Verhoeven viewed that alternate America.
With Baruchel playing a marketing guy, it’s easy to assume that he’ll be acting as the mouthpiece for some pointed comic notions. (Joel Kinnaman, the film’s lead,has saidthere will be some satirical edge to the picture.) But while the actor is well-known as a comic, that’s not quite his usual mode — he’s made a mark in goofball roles and as broad comic relief, for the most part. Granted, he could use that same basic approach here, and end up being something like the updated version of Miguel Ferrer’s character from the original movie.
Robocopshoots soon, and will be in theaters onAugust 9, 2013. The cast featuresJoel Kinnaman as RoboCop, withGary Oldman,Samuel L. Jackson,Hugh Laurie, andAbbie Cornish.Josh Zetumerscripted, andNick ScheckandJames Vanderbiltdid additional work. Here’s the current synopsis:
Director José Padilha (Elite Squad) reimagines the tale of part man, part machine, all cop starring Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) as the title character, Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) as the scientist who creates RoboCop, and Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers) as media mogul Pat Novak. RoboCop is being produced by Strike Entertainment’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, with Eric Carraro as Executive Producer. The film is currently in pre-production and slated for a summer 2013 release.
