Things have been a little rocky on the RoboCop reboot recently, what with Hugh Laurie dropping out of the project and director Jose Padilha reportedly describing the studio interference making his life "hell" . However, things could now be looking up, with confirmation announced of a stellar replacement for Laurie.
Michael Keaton has reportedly signed on to replace the House star, and will now be playing Raymond Sellars, the crooked CEO of Omnicorp, the company behind RoboCop's construction.
It had initially been thought that Clive Owen would step in to fill the position, but Padilha has now confirmed Keaton's arrival, and sounds rather pleased to have bagged his man.
"Michael is the final addition to the amazing cast we have assembled for this film and it is so great to have the last puzzle piece in place," said Padilha. "It is thrilling that everything has come together to bring this innovative new vision of RoboCop to life. We’ve got a great script, a great cast, some killer ED-209’s and I can’t wait to get Alex Murphy back on the streets."
Keaton goes on to join an impressive ensemble that includes Joel Kinnaman, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Jay Baruchel, Jackie Earle Haley and Michael K. Williams. RoboCop will open in the UK on 9 August 2013.
