While my heart is with most people about why there shouldn't be a RoboCop remake, part of me can see that there's something different to be had from a new, harder and more grounded RoboCop film, but now that Darren Aronofsky isn't involved as director a little of the sheen has been taken from the idea.

Now though a new director is being mentioned, and it's a hell of a leap for the studio but it's also a very exciting one. If it turns out to happen then we could be looking at a very gritty, a very hard, and a very violent new RoboCop.

The latest rumour is that Brazilian director José Padilha is set to take up the reigns of the RoboCop reboot. Who is he you might ask, and if you did you are sorely lacking some very good films, go and see Bus 174 (Ônibus 174) (Filmstalker review) and Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) (Filmstalker review) immediately.

Both films were very different and both showed strong characteristics of the director. Bus 174 was a true story using actual footage and built tension superbly well, the dramatic ending was powerful and shocking, as any good documentary should be. Then came Elite Squad, which has a sequel already on the streets, and we saw him tackle another true story but through a fictional tale, looking at the armed police in Rio de Janeiro and their attempts to stop the drug dealers and criminals in the slums.

Both films were hard and shocking, and both delivered well on drama and tension while also building the more human side of characters and relationships, not to mention the latter film's violence and harder edge.

These are both excellent templates to show what Padilha is capable of and what we could expect from his RoboCop, if it were to actually happen.

The Deadline story through Quiet Earth tells us that the producers behind this remake are keen to have Padilha onboard, but there's nothing else to back that up or provide any idea of how far along it is other than just the article saying it's true, and in fact they describe it as a done deal even though they say he's in negotiations right now.

For me I hope it does go through and they continue this route of taking a risk with the remake. I mean if studios are obsessed with making remakes then please take a chance with them and push some belief and trust behind someone with intelligence rather than just churning out more of the same and adding the old studio moniker of "bigger and more" behind it.

Saying that I'm not overly negative about a RoboCop remake. The original is heavily dated and there's a lot to be said about applying today's technology, and today's view of future technology, to the concepts in RoboCop, as well as the problems that countries are facing at home and abroad.

There are so many more aspects to this that could take RoboCop off in a new direction, and with Padilha on board to direct, we really would be looking at a more realistic and harder edged RoboCop than we had before. Now we just need to hope they follow up with an equally strong writer.