We try to avoid paparazzi shots round here as much as possible, but here and there someone with a long lens manages to snap something that's worthy of your attention. On this occasion, with shooting just underway in Toronto, we appear to have our first look at the new Robocop armour, as sported by Joel Kinnaman* in Jose Padilha's remakeboot.
Now, firstly, a word of caution. As ever with these unofficial grabs from set, it's not at all clear how far this represents what we'll eventually see on screen. There could be all manner of CG augmentations in store for this particular outfit. Or it could be some sort of prototype. At first we even wondered if it was actually even Robo: it crossed our minds that it was just a futuristic armour uniform for the ordinary cops in the Motor City precinct. But then we noticed the one exposed hand, which does kind of suggest that the other one has been cyborgified. If that's the case, it seems that the technicians, this time around, decided not to lose the arm.
Assuming that this does come close to the finished product, however, we're pleasantly surprised at how radical a departure it is from the past. The official first look at ED-209 from a while back, showed a distinct - some might even say slavish - similarity to the Phil Tippett original. Matt black biker leathers however, seem a long way from Rob Bottin's iconic suit design. This one seems a bit Street Hawk and a bit Guyver (is this bio-booster armour?). It appears the visor lifts up too, so if that's an actual function, rather than just something for Kinnaman's comfort between shots, this Murphy can expose his face without unscrewing half his head.
Much still to be explained and revealed then, but on this evidence, would you buy the new suit for a dollar, or is it more a case of ROBO2013-SUX? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
What we do know is that, alongside Kinnaman, Robocop features Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Early Haley and Abbie Cornish. It's out in the UK on August 9 next year.
*If that's him and not a stuntman.
