The Uncertain Future of The Female Lead in RoboCop Returns

The Uncertain Future of The Female Lead in RoboCop Returns

18 December 2018, by: marialejandralc

RoboCop is coming soon to a theatre near you! For real. They are making a new one.

We might have thought that after the box office bomb that RoboCop remake represented for the studios in 2014, they were going to leave the brand to rest. But the failed attempt by Sony Pictures and Jose Padilha (director) to reboot the franchise did not stop the considerable effort to raise this famous saga of the 80s to a new generation.

Its tentative title is RoboCop Returns, which alludes to the possibility of a sequel to the original film. So, it seems that MGM has picked up the broken pieces of the Robotic man and they are up to revive the character once again.

This film is barely in pre-production, so there are still no details of what has recently been revealed by its director, Neill Blomkamp. This South African sci-fi lover has worked on several film relics such as Chappie (2015), Elysium (2013) and his latest production Rakka (2017).

Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, both writers of the original Robo’s drama, will be the producers.

The sexist controversy behind the return to Detroit

Maybe the lack of ideas has forced Hollywood’s studios to dig deep into forgotten characters and dusted franchises, aiming to squeeze money out of them. So seeing our knight in shining cyber-armor Alex Murphy again on the movie screens was probably something to be expected.

That's the least of it, though. The controversy surrounding the pre-production of the film goes beyond whether it is necessary to continue exploiting the history of the streets of Detroit or not, but for a social issue that has been haunting this franchise since its resurrection: The absence of a strong female lead teamed up with the cyborg police officer was heavily criticized in RoboCop (2014).

RoboCop (2014) Starring Joel Kinnaman and Abie

Cornish, did not live up to the original one.

The asexual partnership of Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) and Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) was removed from the script, so many fans fear that this could happen again in RoboCop Returns.

Is science fiction macho?

This time around, they’ve promised us a real sequel that will ignore the previous ones. The veteran actor, Peter Weller, has been considered to return to the saga, but sadly, his co-star, actress Nancy Allen, hasn’t just yet.

This fact has spawned a bunch of angry RoboCop purist' tweets targeting Blomkamp, Neumeier, and MGM studios of being sexist.

Fans also started a petition online as a strong letter directed at MGM Studios, Blomkamp and Neumeier in which they demand the re-establishment of actress Nancy Allen and her character Officer Anne Lewis in the upcoming film.

Apparently, the studios nor the production haven’t listened to this request.

Murphy, will we see each other again?

However, the big question here is it is unlikely that Nancy Allen reprises her role in the upcoming production?

It’s not strange to see veteran actresses playing action leading roles or reprising the ones that made them famous anymore. As an example, we could mention Linda Hamilton dressing up as Sarah Connor again for Terminator 6 (2019).

There is still no official statement from Mrs. Allen, which would advance the controversy. If the original Anne Lewis rejects the role, will the fans' efforts to assert the female characters in sci-fi bear fruit?

The future of RoboCop Returns is hazy and could be tainted with accusations of character-sexism if the fans keep spreading their upsetting online, without having or getting a real response from MGM Studios, Blomkamp or Neumeier.

Let’s see how it goes. Stay out of trouble!

Maria Alejandra L. Works as an editorial assistant for several online and printed publications, she is a writer, linguist, digital marketer and Sci FI lover.