50 free RoboCop trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
RoboCop is the film Paul Verhoeven rejected twice because he could not see the joke. Once his wife told him the story was about a man losing his identity, he made a Detroit dystopia in Dallas, dressed Peter Weller in a costume that cost him pounds of sweat a day, and fought the ratings board eight times over a boardroom demonstration that goes badly wrong. These 50 questions cover the 1987 original and its franchise: Edward Neumeier's Blade Runner-set inspiration, Orion's preference for Schwarzenegger, the Old Man modelled on Lew Wasserman, the three prime directives and the classified fourth, ED-209's leopard roar and 20 seconds to comply, the Auto-9 pistol, the Ford Taurus police cars, the 6000 SUX, Emil's melting, the steel mill in Monessen, the Oscar for sound editing, the Nixon VHS promotion, Frank Miller's sequel scripts, the 2014 reboot and Rogue City. Easy questions stick to the hero, the city and the villains; the hardest ask about matte painters, mime coaches and test-screening scores. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss. Play it solo or print it for a 1980s movie night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who directed the 1987 film RoboCop?
Paul Verhoeven
He later made Total Recall and Starship Troopers, completing an unofficial trilogy about authoritarian power.
Q 02Who plays Alex Murphy, the officer who becomes RoboCop?
Peter Weller
Verhoeven said he hired him partly because 'his chin was very good'.
Q 03In which city is RoboCop set?
Detroit
Writer Edward Neumeier insisted on the setting because of its failing auto industry.
Q 04What is the name of the megacorporation that builds RoboCop?
Omni Consumer Products
The city hands it control of the police department at the start of the film.
Q 05Who plays crime lord Clarence Boddicker?
Kurtwood Smith
His glasses were scripted to make him resemble Heinrich Himmler, though Smith was never told.
Q 06What is the name of the law-enforcement robot that malfunctions in the OCP boardroom?
ED-209
Its speaking voice is producer Jon Davison's temporary voiceover, which was never replaced.
Q 07Which actor plays OCP senior president Dick Jones?
Ronny Cox
He had been typecast as nice characters, which is exactly why Verhoeven wanted him as the villain.
Q 08Who plays Bob Morton, the junior executive behind the RoboCop project?
Miguel Ferrer
He called the shoot the best summer of his life, unlike Weller and Verhoeven.
Q 09Who plays Murphy's partner Anne Lewis?
Nancy Allen
Her hair was cut eight times before Verhoeven got the short, unsexualised look he wanted.
Q 10Which actress was originally cast as Anne Lewis before dropping out?
Stephanie Zimbalist
Remington Steele had been cancelled and then revived, tying her up contractually.
Q 11What is RoboCop's classified fourth prime directive designed to do?
Stop him arresting OCP executives
Jones triggers it when RoboCop tries to arrest him at the OCP Tower.
Q 12How does the Old Man nullify Directive 4 in the finale?
He fires Jones
RoboCop then shoots Jones, who falls through a window; the fall is a stop-motion puppet of Ronny Cox.
Q 13How does Lewis first suspect that RoboCop is Murphy?
The way he holsters his gun
The gun twirl was a trick Murphy learned to impress his son.
Q 21Which real executive was the Old Man character based on?
Lew Wasserman
Neumeier considered the MCA chief a powerful and intimidating figure.
Q 22TV host Bixby Snyder was written as an extreme American version of which comedian?
Benny Hill
His catchphrase 'I'd buy that for a dollar' became one of the film's best-known lines.
Q 23Which radio host turned down a role because he thought the idea was stupid?
Howard Stern
He later praised the finished film.
Q 24In which city was most of RoboCop filmed?
Q 14Which 1982 film was Edward Neumeier observing when he conceived RoboCop?
Blade Runner
It was shooting on the Warner lot behind his office, and he unofficially joined the production to learn.
Q 15Who co-wrote the RoboCop screenplay with Edward Neumeier?
Michael Miner
Both were fired from the sequel for refusing to work during the 1988 writers' strike.
Q 16Which 1960 film inspired Neumeier to kill his main character early?
Psycho
Murphy's brutal death was later compared by Verhoeven to the crucifixion.
Q 17Which studio released RoboCop in 1987?
Orion Pictures
Orion's financial troubles later saw the rights pass to MGM in the late 1990s.
Q 18Who finally convinced Verhoeven to take the script after he rejected it twice?
His wife
Martine Verhoeven told him he had missed the soul of the story: a man losing his identity.
Q 19Which comic-book character did Neumeier use to explain the tone to Verhoeven?
Judge Dredd
Verhoeven had wanted to make it a serious film with a Murphy–Lewis romance subplot.
Q 20Which star did Orion favour for the title role before deciding he was too bulky?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
It was feared he would look like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy in the suit.
Dallas
Detroit was rejected for its low brownstone skyline and union costs; it appears only in stock aerial footage.
Q 25Which building stands in for the exterior of OCP headquarters?
Dallas City Hall
Matte paintings made it look much taller.
Q 26Where was the final steel-mill battle filmed?
Monessen, Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh-area weather was frigid after 115 °F days in Texas.
Q 27Who led the special-effects team and designed the RoboCop costume?
Rob Bottin
He went through about 50 designs before settling on a look inspired by Hajime Sorayama's art.
Q 28Which Japanese illustrator's sleek robots inspired the final costume design?
Hajime Sorayama
Bottin also studied C-3PO's stiff suit and robots from Metropolis and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Q 29Which mime coached Weller on his movement?
Moni Yakim
Weller rehearsed in an American football uniform because the real costume was not ready.
Q 30Which actor was considered as a replacement when Weller was briefly fired?
Lance Henriksen
The costume was built for Weller's body, so both sides were encouraged to make peace.