50 Fun Facts About RoboCop

Who directed the 1987 film RoboCop?

He later made Total Recall and Starship Troopers, completing an unofficial trilogy about authoritarian power.

Who plays Alex Murphy, the officer who becomes RoboCop?

Verhoeven said he hired him partly because 'his chin was very good'.

In which city is RoboCop set?

Writer Edward Neumeier insisted on the setting because of its failing auto industry.

What is the name of the megacorporation that builds RoboCop?

The city hands it control of the police department at the start of the film.

Who plays crime lord Clarence Boddicker?

His glasses were scripted to make him resemble Heinrich Himmler, though Smith was never told.

What is the name of the law-enforcement robot that malfunctions in the OCP boardroom?

Its speaking voice is producer Jon Davison's temporary voiceover, which was never replaced.

Which actor plays OCP senior president Dick Jones?

He had been typecast as nice characters, which is exactly why Verhoeven wanted him as the villain.

Who plays Bob Morton, the junior executive behind the RoboCop project?

He called the shoot the best summer of his life, unlike Weller and Verhoeven.

Who plays Murphy's partner Anne Lewis?

Her hair was cut eight times before Verhoeven got the short, unsexualised look he wanted.

Which actress was originally cast as Anne Lewis before dropping out?

Remington Steele had been cancelled and then revived, tying her up contractually.

What is RoboCop's classified fourth prime directive designed to do?

Jones triggers it when RoboCop tries to arrest him at the OCP Tower.

How does the Old Man nullify Directive 4 in the finale?

RoboCop then shoots Jones, who falls through a window; the fall is a stop-motion puppet of Ronny Cox.

How does Lewis first suspect that RoboCop is Murphy?

The gun twirl was a trick Murphy learned to impress his son.

Which 1982 film was Edward Neumeier observing when he conceived RoboCop?

It was shooting on the Warner lot behind his office, and he unofficially joined the production to learn.

Who co-wrote the RoboCop screenplay with Edward Neumeier?

Both were fired from the sequel for refusing to work during the 1988 writers' strike.

Which 1960 film inspired Neumeier to kill his main character early?

Murphy's brutal death was later compared by Verhoeven to the crucifixion.

Which studio released RoboCop in 1987?

Orion's financial troubles later saw the rights pass to MGM in the late 1990s.

Who finally convinced Verhoeven to take the script after he rejected it twice?

Martine Verhoeven told him he had missed the soul of the story: a man losing his identity.

Which comic-book character did Neumeier use to explain the tone to Verhoeven?

Verhoeven had wanted to make it a serious film with a Murphy–Lewis romance subplot.

Which star did Orion favour for the title role before deciding he was too bulky?

It was feared he would look like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy in the suit.

Which real executive was the Old Man character based on?

Neumeier considered the MCA chief a powerful and intimidating figure.

TV host Bixby Snyder was written as an extreme American version of which comedian?

His catchphrase 'I'd buy that for a dollar' became one of the film's best-known lines.

Which radio host turned down a role because he thought the idea was stupid?

He later praised the finished film.

In which city was most of RoboCop filmed?

Detroit was rejected for its low brownstone skyline and union costs; it appears only in stock aerial footage.

Which building stands in for the exterior of OCP headquarters?

Matte paintings made it look much taller.

Where was the final steel-mill battle filmed?

The Pittsburgh-area weather was frigid after 115 °F days in Texas.

Who led the special-effects team and designed the RoboCop costume?

He went through about 50 designs before settling on a look inspired by Hajime Sorayama's art.

Which Japanese illustrator's sleek robots inspired the final costume design?

Bottin also studied C-3PO's stiff suit and robots from Metropolis and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Which mime coached Weller on his movement?

Weller rehearsed in an American football uniform because the real costume was not ready.

Which actor was considered as a replacement when Weller was briefly fired?

The costume was built for Weller's body, so both sides were encouraged to make peace.

RoboCop's Auto-9 pistol is a modified version of which real gun?

It got an extended barrel, bigger grip and side vents for three-shot muzzle flashes.

Which car model was used for the film's black police cruisers?

It was chosen for the aerodynamic styling of its first production year, 1986.

What is the name of the gas-guzzling luxury car advertised and driven by Boddicker?

The modified Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was built by Gene Winfield from a Chip Foose design.

Which animal's roar was used for ED-209?

Phil Tippett animated it to move as if about to fall over before catching itself.

How tall was the full-scale ED-209 model?

It cost $25,000 and weighed up to 500 lb; designer Craig Davies deliberately gave it no eyes.

Which 1977 film inspired Emil's grotesque condition after his toxic-waste bath?

Test audiences rated his death by Boddicker's car as the film's highest-scoring scene.

How many times did Verhoeven say the MPAA refused RoboCop an R rating?

Some reports said eleven; Media Breaks were added partly to lighten the mood between cuts.

Which artist's stark black lines influenced the abrupt Media Breaks?

One critic was so jarred he thought the projectionist had loaded the wrong reel.

Who composed RoboCop's score, blending synthesizers with orchestra?

The Sinfonia of London performed it; he had just worked with Verhoeven on Flesh+Blood.

What was RoboCop's final production budget?

It began at $11 million and grew through schedule extensions and post-production.

Roughly how much did RoboCop gross in its North American run?

It opened at number one in July 1987 ahead of a Snow White re-release and Jaws: The Revenge.

For which category did RoboCop win a Special Achievement Academy Award?

At the ceremony, RoboCop rescued presenter Pee-wee Herman from ED-209 in a comedy bit.

Which former US president was paid to shake hands with the character for the VHS launch?

He donated the $25,000 fee to the Boys Club of America.

Which comic-book writer scripted RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3?

His second draft became RoboCop 2 and his first draft became RoboCop 3.

Who directed RoboCop 2 (1990)?

The Empire Strikes Back director's sequel got mixed reviews and was estimated to have lost money.

Who replaced Weller as RoboCop in RoboCop 3?

Nancy Allen returned as Lewis for a third and final time; the film flopped.

Who starred in the 2014 RoboCop reboot?

José Padilha directed; Verhoeven said he 'should be dead' before a remake was attempted.

Where in the series timeline is the 2023 video game Rogue City set?

Weller also voices RoboCop as a playable fighter in Mortal Kombat 11.

Which 1992 Dark Horse comic crossover pitted the cyborg cop against Skynet's machines?

Dark Horse published it in 1992 and a video game adaptation followed in 1994.

Where was a crowdfunded statue of the character permanently installed in 2025?

First proposed in 2011, it drew over $67,000 in donations.