Robocop And The Hellish Suit Of Armor That Led To Success

By | June 6, 2022

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American actors Nancy Allen and Peter Weller on the set of RoboCop, directed by Paul Verhoeven. (Photo by Orion Pictures Corporation/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The ‘80s loved sci-fi flicks. Coming off the incredibly lucrative heels of “Terminator” and “Alien”, Hollywood took a big swing with 1987’s “Robocop”. Originally the brainchild of story editor Ed Neumeier and film student Michael Miner, most executives passed on “Robocop” and even eventual director Paul Verhoeven threw the script in the trash before his wife talked him into it. Thankfully for Robo-heads everywhere, Orion Pictures made a mint off of “Terminator” and were willing to go back to the murderous robot well. Here are some incredible behind-the-scenes tidbits from “Robocop”.

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The unforgettable armor made the movie and the lead actor's life hell. doblu.com

Drawing On Inspiration From The Greats

While “Robocop” might seem like a straightforward sci-fi action film, those in charge drew inspiration from some of the all-time great films. Neumeier worked on “Blade Runner” which informed many of his decisions about a city in decline requiring robots to clean up a society gone wrong. Robocop's stoic mannerism came from the comic book “Judge Dredd”, which Sylvester Stallone played years later. They also took note of “Iron Man” and the “Lone Ranger” among other western classics.

Peter Weller Goes Full Method

To prepare for “Robocop” actor Peter Weller pulled out all the stops but assuredly, the actor had no idea of the world of pain and frustration coming to him. At the behest of studio executive Mike Medavoy, it was suggested that he train with a mime as the suit would limit his ability to express himself facially.

After auditioning multiple mimes, Weller spent months working on his movements, even incorporating balletic training before walking around Central Park in football gear! As if that wasn’t enough, Weller went full De Niro, refusing to answer to any name other than his character for the duration of filming. Sadly, all that work went to pot when he finally got into the suit.