Donning the cybernetic armor to face the dangers lurking in the back alleys of dystopian Detroit in the sequel to ‘RoboCop‘ might not have been all that Peter Weller needed to worry about. Before even getting around to shooting the long-awaited follow-up to the original sci-fi thriller in 1990, the protagonist found himself in the middle of a serious creative battle.
While director Irvin Kershner obsessed over expanding on the cyberpunk aspects of the franchise, Weller grew worried about the storyline, believing that it was fundamentally flawed. Deciding to voice his concerns to the producers and famed comic book writer Frank Miller, who co-wrote the movie, the actor knew that mere action and an enormous cybernetic villain weren’t going to save the day.
Peter Weller Knew ‘RoboCop 2’ Had A Third-Act Problem
The primary source of Weller’s worries had everything to do with the ending. Speaking in 2013 to The A.V. Club, the actor explained how he openly confronted director Kershner, Frank Miller, and the production team at the time:
“Yeah. ‘RoboCop 2’ didn’t have a third act. I told the producers, Irv Kirshner, up front, and Frank Miller. I told them all. I said, ‘Where’s the third act here, man? So I beat up a big monster. In the third act, you have to have your Dan O’Herlihy. Somebody’s got to be the third act,'” he said.
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The filmmaking team assured him that having such an enormous cyborg adversary in RoboCain as a centerpiece to their narrative would be more than enough to sustain the ending. Weller was not convinced. “‘No, no, the monster’s going to be enough.’ ‘Look, it’s not enough!'”
According to the actor, the problem with ‘RoboCop 2‘ wasn’t the level of violence involved but rather the fact that the creative team behind it seemed to forget the reason that made the first film so good.
Why Weller Thought RoboCop 2 Lacked The Original’s Soul
“When you have a movie like the first ‘RoboCop’, where the bad guys are never the bad guys and it’s always the morality of the thing. You know, like the idea that progress in the name of progress can steal a man’s identity,” he stated.
For the actor, without that crucial soul and depth, ‘RoboCop 2‘ was essentially doomed from the start.
While Weller was unhappy with what was happening behind the scenes, he continued to be a consummate professional on set, stating that he respected Kershner as a director very much and was pleased to be working with him again.
Still, despite his fears, Weller turned out to be absolutely right in his premonition. “The script did not have the code, the spine, or the soul of the first one.”
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Time proved Weller’s concerns valid. Though budget-wise, ‘RoboCop 2‘ was a much bigger project than the original movie, it failed to perform as well both critically and commercially.
Grossing only $45.7 million domestically, it came nowhere near matching the box office performance of the 1987 sci-fi film, which earned $53.4 million at theaters.
What do you think? Was ‘RoboCop 2‘ really missing the soul of the original film, or do you believe that the battle with RoboCain still makes for a great sci-fi action movie?
Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
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