Jackie Earle Haley Joins ‘RoboCop’

As wrong as it feels that they're remaking 'RoboCop' (and it does feel sooo wrong), it's impossible to look at the cast that director Jose Padilha is building not be pretty impressed. In addition to Joel Kinnaman putting on the cybernetic implants, the film will feature Gary Oldman, Hugh Laurie, Samuel L. Jackson and now Jackie Earle Haley, who just can't seem to stop himself from getting attached to geek properties.

Haley most recently appeared in Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows,' but movie fans will undoubtedly remember him from 'Watchmen,' the remake of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and his Oscar nominated turn in 'Little Children.' His presence in a film isn't always a guaranteed sign of quality, but it's a guaranteed sign that film will feature at least one stellar performance. In 'RoboCop,' Haley will play Maddox, the man who re-trains Alex Murphy in combat after he is reborn as a corporation-owned, half-mechanical killing machine. This already indicates a fascinating divergence from the original film, where RoboCop was initially controlled entirely by his programming and had no need for training after his transformation.

For those who haven't seen it, here's the official synopsis for the film, which paints a bleaker, less satiric picture than Paul Verhoeven's original:

"In the film, the year is 2029 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before."

'RoboCop' is scheduled for August 9, 2013.