`RoboCop 2014` is very close to reality: Jose Padilha

New Delhi: Brazilian director Jose Padilha is making his Hollywood debut with `RoboCop`, a remake of the 1987 film of the same name, and says his approach to the sci-fi film is similar to the happenings in the world today.A re-telling of the Paul Verhoeven-directed 1987 movie, the film is about a Detroit police officer who is transformed into a sentient law enforcement machine. "I think that the issues our movie talks about - the robots, the use of drones, our law enforcement all of these are real issues and very close to reality today. And they are going to become more and more real; so I actually think this movie was about reality and not fiction. It is a very grounded sci-fi movie," Padilha told in an email interview.

The original `RoboCop` film was hailed as groundbreaking upon its release. It starred Peter Weller as Alex Murphy, a cop slain by drug dealers who is reborn inside the suit of a cyborg and begins to rid the city`s streets of crime. When asked if he was apprehensive about remaking a hit, the 46-year-old director-producer said, "Actually it wasn`t scary at all re-creating `RoboCop`; infact I would say it was a great thing. It would be challenging recreating a bad movie that had bad ideas in it, but `RoboCop` is a pretty amazing movie with some great ideas. So it was a blast." The new `RoboCop` film stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman Michael Keaton, Samuel L Jackson and will arrive in theatres this Valentines Day. The remake was first announced in 2005, but it was halted one year later. Darren Aronofsky and David Self were first assigned to direct and write the film for a tentative 2010 release. Padilha was attached to project in 2011. "I wasn`t asked to direct `RoboCop`. I went to a meeting at MGM three years ago. They mentioned several movies but those didn`t really appeal to me, until I saw they had a poster of the original `RoboCop` and asked them if they would like to make the film with me. Two days later, I was offered the film. So, it was actually my suggestion," Padilha said.