Paul Verhoeven Disccuses ‘RoboCop’ Remake, ‘Total Recall’ Failure

Director Paul Verhoeven recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming RoboCop remake with the folks at Indiewire. The filmmaker also explained why he thought Len Wiseman’s Total Recall bombed at the box office.

Fans of the director’s 1990 science fiction action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger weren’t surprised when the remake stumbled upon its release earlier this year. Verhoeven explained that it was ultimately the film’s self-serious tone that led to its failure.

“Critics were a lot more complimentary to me and Arnold about the original after the remake came out than they had been been before it,” the filmmaker said.

Paul Verhoeven feels that the same fate may befall the upcoming RoboCop remake when it arrives in theaters in 2014.

“It’s the same thing,” he explained. “It’s very difficult to make this story realistically.”

He added, “I think all of these films are accepted because they don’t take themselves so seriously. There’s a lightness, you believe it, but we also know it’s not true.”

Unfortunately, the filmmaker might be right. News of the remake started the internet buzzing earlier this year. In order to take advantage of the chatter, the studio behind the film released a teaser trailer designed to look like a corporate video.

Everything looked good for the film until set pictures of RoboCop’s suit were leaked online. Fan backlash was almost instantaneous, with many crying foul over the outfit’s “unrobotic” look. From that point on, things started to go awry.

In October, JoBlo reported that the RoboCop remake was bumped from its August 2013 release date to sometime in February of 2014. Considering studios like to schedule duds during the first months of the year, many believe the project is already doomed to fail.

Paul Verhoeven explained all of this may squash the Starship Troopers remake that is reportedly in the works.

“I don’t know if they’re going to do ‘Starship Troopers’ after the failure of ‘Total Recall,’ ” he said. “Yes, they bought the rights, we know that, but I really thought they made a mistake when they did the remake by making it so serious.”

Are you a fan of Paul Verhoeven’s movies? Are you looking forward to the RoboCop remake?