What could make a remake of an edgy '80s classic worthy of our valuable time? A top-notch director, of course. Within a Hollywood Reporter article focused on MGM's new chairman, Mary Parent (and all the franchises she's kicking into high gear) is one heck of a good name drop. According to the studio, Darren Aronofsky has stopped by to talk about helming the Robocop remake.

Now stop and savor how brilliant Aronofsky's Robocop would be. Doesn't that feel nice? Don't get too excited, as it's probably too good to be true, but what if? Not only could he actually make a film that could rival the bitter satire of Paul Verhoven's original, but it would actually give him some long overdue recognition and box office success. (Yes, I know we film nuts know him like he's our best friend -- but have you actually discussed The Fountain around the water cooler lately?)

Aronofsky has been dancing around big budget movie making for years. I don't know how many comics adaptations he's been attached to over the years -- I can think of Batman, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Ronin off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure there's more. Robocop really does seem right up his alley. Let this idea actually come together. I think audiences deserve it.

[via CHUD]

We knew it was coming, but now they're getting serious -- debuting a brand new Robocop teaser poster at the Licensing International Expo, which also brought us a Terminator Salvation poster and tons of Half-Blood Prince goodies. Of course, Robocop hasn't been cast yet, and so that's not some mysterious A-list actor hiding underneath the helmet. It's just a teaser ... and in this day and age, teasers come well before films even go into production.

I'm actually one of those who think a Robocop remake could look cool if done right, and with the popularity of Iron Man now at an all-time high, I could see MGM and the Robocop filmmakers taking notes before heading in a comic book-esque direction with the character and the eventual movie. The poster itself is totally retro, and I dig that about it, so I guess we'll see.

Is Robocop the kind of remake you'd get behind?

[via The Movie Blog]

I heard Wednesday is the new Tuesday ...

We never thought it would happen, but Hollywood has finally invented a time machine and is using it to resurrect a number of old franchises. From indieWIRE comes news that MGM's Mary Parent and Harry Sloan are interested in finding out whether audiences want Sly Stallone to return for another Rocky installment. The article adds, "Parent asked for a show of hands from the audience who might be in to that. Though there were a few very enthusiastic responses, many kept quiet." Hmm, maybe they were just pretending not to listen.

During the same MGM panel, Parent mentioned the recently-announced Robocop remake and said it "would be great in 3-D, as would something we're hoping to announce soon." Announce soon? What is it? Could it be Rocky vs Robocop: The Future Ends Here ... in 3-D? Fingers crossed. Here's our earlier story on the Robocop remake, which also includes a remake of Red Dawn. God help us. [via Moviehole]

Finally, on the Star Trek front, a few possible spoilers have leaked out over at TrekMovie.com. I won't go into many details here, though I will say the spoilers have to do with the several different ships featured in the film. Speaking of, what's the official title for this flick? Do we have one yet? Is it just Star Trek? Star Trek XI? How about Star Trek New Beginnings: The Future and the Past Together At Last? On a separate note, MTV spoke with William Shatner who -- wait for it -- is still pretty upset about not being included in the new film. His words (not mine): "I'm solidly behind being disappointed that I'm not in it." Next week Shatner re-phrases things and notes: "I'm not not devastated, though I am positive about being negative."

We have no details at all beyond what you just read in the headline, but THR is reporting that MGM has remakes of Robocop and Red Dawn in the works. (L-Rappe had some buzz on Robocop right here.) Studio chiefs Harry Sloan and Mary Parent must have simply stood up at Cannes and said out loud: "MGM is remaking Robocop and Red Dawn" before vanishing into a hotel or something. So in lieu of additional information regarding cast and crew, I'll just fill a second paragraph with some ranting.

First off, you're never going to improve on Paul Verhoeven's Robocop, which is just about the most spot-on, no-bullsh!t action satire you'll ever see. Unless MGM wants to hire someone like David Fincher or Brad Anderson, I don't have a very good vibe on a Robo-remake. And Red Dawn? Well ... obviously you'd have to update the villains, wouldn't you? Viewed through a socio-political spectrum, John Milius' Red Dawn might be one of the most "outdated" action movies at the video store. Plus, as cool as it looks on screen, the concept of paratroopers invading America is pretty damn hilarious.

So obviously I don't think much of either project at this point. (Sorry, but when I read the word "remake," my brain heads right to the word "lazy," although obviously that's not always the case.) But of course I'll see both of 'em as soon as they come out. I just can't help it. And since it's also an '80s-era MGM title that begins with a "R," I guess you can expect a remake of Road House soon enough.

Either MGM is engaging in wishful thinking, or we're getting a new Robocop movie.

A recent press release from the studio listed a whole bunch of future projects, many of which weren't too surprising -- their list of franchises-to-be includes The Hobbit, Outer Limits, Death Wish, and the shocker of Robocop

I highly doubt this will be another sequel, but will instead be a full fledged remake. I also doubt they'll dare to make something like Paul Verhoven's blood-soaked satire --
which philosophers wrote on and originally was X-rated. Nothing in Hollywood carries an "originally X-rated" label any more. A remake will probably have most of the bullets, half the blood, and a really rocking soundtrack. I can't think of an actor who everyone would scream in horror upon being cast, so maybe you can help me out and name a few.

It truly is a renaissance of 80's cinema. I half expect to walk out of my house and see everyone wearing leg warmers. It is really beginning to scare me -- I thought you were supposed to be well into old age before the past caught up with you. I am fully expecting to see a remake of Commando or Lethal Weapon by the time I am thirty.

[via Ain't It Cool News ]

Michael Bay's Transformers hits DVD today (check out our review), and Paramount is celebrating by turning one of the film's stars loose in Los Angeles. No, unfortunately it's not Megan Fox. Standing at the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center (at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea), surrounded by shops like Target and Jamba Juice, stands Bumblebee. It's an actual prop from the film, it stands 18 feet tall, and it weighs 8,200 pounds. The robot had to be assembled and set up by a forklift and a ten-ton crane. Bumblebee will be standing guard there through this Sunday, October 21st.

I went over this morning to snap some pictures. As I rounded the corner, I was expecting a madhouse -- people pointing to the skies and screaming, running in terror, etc. Or at least, y'know, looking in its general direction! But then I remembered I was in West Hollywood. You need more than an 18 foot-tall robot to stand out in West Hollywood. I could have strolled through the shopping center buck naked and juggling infants, and still wouldn't have been given a second look. Transvestites, Transsexuals, Transformers, it's just another day in Hollywood. Still, I thought the display was pretty sweet, and snapped some photographs for those of you who can't make it to L.A. Check 'em out, won't you?

Side note -- while picking up the new Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers DVD at the Best Buy there, I bumped into none other than actor Peter Weller! Was he just picking up some headphones...or was he there to pitch a Robocop Vs. Transformers flick to Bumblebee? I report, you decide.

Like most people on the internet, we at Cinematical love lists. I love them so much that I wish I could write about everyone I read, but unfortunately there are too many geeks out there making up too many lists, and not enough love to go round (can't you see this is the land of confusion .... ). But since another thing we love around here is Star Wars -- not just the movies but also the fans, the debates, the complaints, etc. -- I figured that these four lists were worth sharing. Because they all mention something related to George Lucas' popular universe. Three of the lists also reference a lot of Star Trek, but with J.J. Abrams rebooting the franchise and all, I think Trekkies have enough love right now. Meanwhile, the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars occurred this year, and we still had to read about things like the Harry Potter franchise out-grossing the Star Wars series and Serenity beating out Star Wars as a best sci-fi film poll. So, thanks to the people at Fark.com, who love lists even more than we do, here are four movie-related lists that give some appropriate props:

• First we have the Times' countdown of the 40 most memorable aliens. Unfortunately, the only Star Wars aliens listed are at #32 and #26, and they're the Ewoks and Max Rebo, respectively. Considering most of the characters in the series can be considered aliens, this is harsh, but since I'm one of the few Ewok fans out there, I appreciate the gesture. Even if ALF is higher up on the list than they are. At least they're still better than the Coneheads. Anyway the top ten here is full of other significant movie aliens, including the arachnids of Starship Troopers, E.T., the Transformers, Superman, The Blob, The Thing and, at the top spot, God.
  
• Next there's Kunochan.com's countdown of the top twenty starship captains. Once again, Star Wars doesn't get the #1, but it's understandable that Star Trek's most famous captains get the first two slots. At #3, though, is Han Solo. However, the list's author does point out that he had to put a Star Wars character in the top five to avoid having his house firebombed. I don't mind the disingenuous comment; Solo deserves to be higher up than Captain Janeway and the dude from Firefly/Serenity. Down the line at #11 we've also got Grand Moff Tarkin.

As near as I can remember and without doing any research at all (because opening up a second browser tab would be too much work), there have already been three different "region 1" Robocop DVDs: A bare-bones junker, a phenomenal release from Criterion and a pretty solid triple-dip from MGM. (And that third release also came as part of a trilogy set, which I'd recommend if you're one of the 19 people who adore both Robocop 2 and Robocop 3.) Well guess what, DVD junkies?

According to DVD Active, on August 21 MGM will be unleashing a 2-disc (steel-cased) 20th Anniversary Special Edition of Paul Verhoeven's Robocop, one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s. (By far.) So while it's true that many of the extra features have been ported over from previous releases, this set will offer the theatrical cut AND the director's cut that features the infamous ED-209 scene in which he turns one unlucky executive into the world's bloodiest piece of swiss cheese. Apparently there will be three all-new featurettes, but the rest of the goodies (while great) are strictly recycled goods: a director / writer / producer commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes both archival and (relatively) recent, trailers, TV spots, the whole nine yards. And the cover is rrrrrrreally cool.

All together now: "I'd buy that for a dollar!!" Looks like MGM will be asking for more like $20, though. It's worth it.