Joel Kinnaman thinks he knows why the 2014RoboCopremake wasn’t a massive success. Rebooting and remaking movies is commonplace in the entertainment industry today. However, the results are often put under extra scrutiny, as people more often than not prefer the originals. When remakes or reboots are made, they don’t always have the same spark that made the originals so special, which was definitely the case with theRoboCopremake that Kinnaman starred in.
2014’sRoboCopwas Joel Kinnaman’s first big role. He says, “I had to quell all my instincts for everything over the course of that film. I’m like, ‘Why am I wearing a black suit? That doesn’t make any sense at all.'” However, that was only part of theproblem that fans of the franchise pickedapart when the movie hit theaters. When reflecting, Kinnaman has some further reasons as to why the movie wasn’t as successful as it could have been. He explains.
“What I feel like the whole movie didn’t take into account is what the fans loved about [the original [RoboCop]. And you have to pay homage to that. And I think the producers and the filmmakers and me includeddidn’t really understand how to do that in the right way. I think it’s a really solid movie, it just didn’t fit theRoboCopconcept.”
When doing press for the movie,Joel Kinnamanfound himself in trouble with the studio. “The first interview I did forRoboCop… was right after I was cast,“The Suicide Squadstar says. “I got the first questions forRoboCop, and the question was, ‘So, is it going to be R-rated?’ And I was like, ‘Of course, it’s going to be R-rated! Only an idiot would makeRoboCopa PG-13 movie.’ Cut to the next morning - 47 missed calls I woke up to.” When the movie opened in theaters, it came with a PG-13 rating.
Reviews were mixed when theRoboCopremake opened in theaters, though there are plenty of critics who praised the performances of Joel Kinnaman, along with Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, and Jackie Earle Haley. The movie was directed by José Padilha and written by Joshua Zetumer, Nick Schenk, Edward Neumeier, and Michael Miner. As it turns out, a lot of critics shared Kinnaman’s same sentiment. One review states, “there’s a sense that Padilha, or perhaps his corporate overlords, don’t really get what made the original so special.”
Joel Kinnaman reprises his Rick Flag rolein James Gunn’s upcoming movie,The Suicide Squad. In a recent interview, the actor noted that Gunn’s vision is more of a reboot than a straight sequel to David Ayer’sSuicide Squad, which opened in theaters back in 2016. And unlikeRoboCop, this movie is going to be a fully R-rated superhero movie. You can check out the interview with Joel Kinnaman over atThe Playlist.
