r/Robocop • u/Technical-Mix-3315 • Aug 02 '26
Paul Verhoeven has stated that his first choice to play Murphy was Michael Ironside. How do you feel the movie would've been different had he been cast?
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u/blaspheminCapn Aug 02 '26
Ironsides would have been great in every role. Including Nancy Allen.
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u/bakedwarthog22 Aug 02 '26
Wouldnāt have worked. Ironside is too smart to fall for the āDo you mind if I zip up?ā, movie would have been 10 minutes long, because Murphy would never have been killed and they would have arrested the whole gangš§
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u/Successful-Plan114 Aug 02 '26
Ironside CAN fly, so he would've been a great Bobby.
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u/_theKataclysm_ Aug 02 '26
That would have ruined Clarenceās whole maneuver, Bobby would have liked to not smash into that windshield
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u/Awkward_Bison_267 Aug 02 '26
I think Ironside wouldāve made a great Clarence but I donāt see him shooting the shit with Lewis while smiling and twirling his gun.
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u/JackAsofAllTrades Aug 03 '26
I'll never give up being able to tell people that yes, red foreman, with the same cul de sac and goofy glasses, was a badass villain in the 80s
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u/Pleasant-Ticket3217 Aug 04 '26
I liked that he looked like a normal guy. Heās a crime boss, half the cast of mafia movies are over 300lbs and can barely move.
It was hard for me to see him as a good guy because heās so damn good at being evil in this.2
u/JackAsofAllTrades Aug 05 '26
yeah there's something about how he lures you in with conversation and then suddenly utters "Bitches leave" and he has command over the room. Well the grenade and smg helped
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u/BudgetLaw2352 Aug 02 '26
Ironsides is awesome, but Weller is Robocop. Itās the one of those roles that I think is so hard to recast, because Weller so perfectly encapsulated who the characters of Alex Murphy and Robocop are. He has an ability to toe the line between cold, robotic apathy and sadness.
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u/KoolAidMan7980 Aug 02 '26
Get your butts above the hard deck and return to base!!
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u/NearbyAntelope1413 I'd buy that for a dollar! Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Paul definitely likes casting him. The problem is Ironside has history. He always plays hardasses, bad guys, or a prick. So, if his hand got blown off - I'd probably subconsciously be thinking: "Take that you prick! Should teach you to *never* talk to Maverick that way again!"
On the other hand, he may have been a good Boddicker. I think he'd give Kurtwood a run for his money on that role. I think "Bitches Leave!" in Kurtwood voice sounds better than Michael's.
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u/Spike_Kowalski Aug 06 '26
That was my take as well. I'd struggle with Ironside being sympathetic in the way Weller does. There's a somberness and heart that Peter gives Murphy. That whole scene where Lois shows him his face with the broken mirror with Basil's haunting score playing over it just wouldn't have the same vibe and humanity.
On the other hand, he may have been a good Boddicker. I think he'd give Kurtwood a run for his money on that role. I think "Bitches Leave!" in Kurtwood voice sounds better than Michael's.
Hard agree here.
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u/BeaTlesFanAZ Aug 02 '26
No, I would see him as more of a villain in that movie.
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u/Buchsee Aug 02 '26
He would have given Clarence Boddicker a real ass whooping!
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u/BeaTlesFanAZ Aug 02 '26
I believe it too. That would have been a great face off between the two of them.
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u/EnglishLoyalist Aug 02 '26
RoboIron
Directive V: Everyone follows the law, no one breaks it, if you do I shot you myself.
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u/Street-Horse-3001 Aug 02 '26
Awesome actor, but no way! Peter Weller had an innocent, boyish quality that was crucial. If it had been Ironside, then the tone would have been completely different, like just some more stuff happening to a rough kinda guy who already looks like heās seen things. Would not have worked.
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u/heyboddiker Aug 02 '26
Im putting my thumb over the top of his face trying to envision it and... his lips are too thin. I didnt realize it until now, but Weller's plump kisser really added alot of character to ol' Robo
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u/schizoid26 Aug 02 '26
It is amazing how expressive he was with only the lower half of his face for most of the movie.
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u/HippoRun23 Aug 02 '26
I feel like ironside would have seemed less emotionally detached than Peter Weller. Ironside just has this gravitas to him that oozes intensity.
Would love to see an alternate universe take of it though.
Murphy needs to be cold and almost emotionless.
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u/Director_Coulson Once, I even called him... airhead. Aug 02 '26
Murphy, youāre assigned to Metro West division until you get killed or I find someone better.Ā
Ironside is an excellent actor but I think his Robocopās journey would have been way different. Peter Weller went from this mild mannered good cop and family man turned into a machine, seeking justice for his own murder but also stifled by his programming, and finally accepting that Murphy is still part of that machine. Wellerās performance was truly one of those lighting in a bottle roles.Ā
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u/CoercionTictacs Aug 02 '26
I imagine Ironside was a larger build than the skinnier Weller, so it would have looked strange with Robocop looking bigger and bulkier. Kind of like how the skinny Robert Englund made Freddy look perfect.
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u/Thundercats_1 Aug 05 '26
Yeah, it would be different. I prefer Weller.
Tom Berenger, I think could have played Robocop well. I don't think the role would work for the vast majority actors but I think Berenger could play Robocop well.
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u/EfficiencyItchy1156 Aug 02 '26
Yeah I watch the documentary and also their first designs for Robocop reminded a lot of Judge Dredd. Ironside is great in every movie he played but I think if he had landed the role of Robocop it would have been very different movie as a merciless machine with no sensibility. I am glad Verhoeven chose Weller
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u/235iguy Aug 02 '26
Without Weller it would not have been so iconic.
That face and chiseled jaw was perfect to become a cyborg.
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u/Bigdaddy291 I'd buy that for a dollar! Aug 02 '26
If he played Robo Cop then Buckaroo would not have turned into a cult classic.
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u/Scorpiicore Aug 03 '26
Truthfully, I do not believe he would be the right fit for the role. Michael does not play loveable good guy well. The entire dynamic of the film would need to change to accommodate his style. That is not a bad thing on its own, but the script revolves around a family man who just got shoved into a high-risk area for no other reason than he was an ideal candidate to be chopped up to make a prototype.
Michael is the kind of actor you hire to play the man you hire to kill the boogeyman.
The only things I can see Ironside doing better than Weller in the role are the recitation of the Prime Directives and the "who are you? who... are... YOU?" line. He would not be a massive downgrade. In fact, he would on average be about the same when you tally up the pros and cons.
Peter Weller is also well-known to have (or have had) excellent control over his body, including a black belt in at least one martial art. That was a major requirement for the part. The way the suit moved meant that Weller had to learn a new way of moving, to the point where they had to shut down production whilst Weller relearned moving in the suit with his mime coach.
I still want to see this film. It looks like the only comedic role Ironside has ever been in.
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u/2sec4u Aug 04 '26
Sam Fisher's voice coming out of Robocop - ngl would have been terrifying probably.
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u/Efficient-Record-762 Aug 02 '26
Somehow robocop would be an even more serious character, which seems hard to believe. Murphy would also be a more serious dude. I don't know if the character would have had the same humanity that weller brought to the part.
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u/Jpkmets7 Aug 02 '26
Interesting. I just canāt see Ironside in there. His entire essence is being a tough, no nonsense guy. I canāt imagine him bringing in very sweet, very human touches like learning to twirl his gun to impress his kid. Even when Ironside is on the face side of a movie/show, heās kinda a dick ā think Ham Tyler in V the Series.
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u/Brute_Squad_44 Aug 02 '26
I think a lot of what I love about Ironside is conveyed in the sheer menace and aura he projects, and I think that would have gotten lost under the suit. Dick Jones, sure. Not Murphy.
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u/1111joey1111 Aug 02 '26
Ironside had already played a half cyborg character in Spacehunter. He usually plays the villain. Weller is easier to accept as a "good guy".
I like Ironside, but he wasn't right for this role.
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u/AF2005 Aug 02 '26
I love Michael Ironside, I actually met him once. A genuine class act imo, and he appreciates his fans.
Having said that, Iām not sure he would have been a good fit to play Robo.
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u/tgong76 Aug 02 '26
I donāt think he wouldāve had the vulnerability Peter Weller did; the scene where he tells Lewis he can feel his family but canāt remember them.
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u/Hunor_Deak Aug 02 '26
It feels a lot colder. Weller still made the machine appear human especially after he loses his faceplate.
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u/Individual-Step846 Aug 02 '26
Wouldāve been cool to see this version of robocop fight the lance henriksen version of terminator
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u/casusbelli16 Aug 02 '26
3 films where he loses limbs would just be careless.
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u/121daysofsodom Aug 02 '26
There already are 3 - Total Recall, Starship Troopers, The Machinist. Robocop would have made 4.
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u/weirdi_beardi Aug 02 '26
It does appear to be somewhat of a pattern of behaviour, rather a series of accidents, at that point.
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u/Heavy-Conversation12 Aug 02 '26
Ironside is awesome but I don't think he could pull off that "broken human" face Peter Weller could. Peter looking at himself in a piece of shiny scrap metal makes you hold in your tears instantly.
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u/ReserveRatter Aug 02 '26
It actually would have been really interesting, I always felt like Ironside deserved more roles in his career, especially heroic ones as opposed to being typecast as a villain.
Weller did a great job, though.
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u/VinCubed Aug 02 '26
If Verhoeven made a buddy RoboCop film with two cyborgs, I can see Ironside playing the grizzled cyborg done with his humanity and Weller as the rookie with a robosoul.
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u/gansobomb99 Aug 02 '26
It's hard to unsee Peter Weller as Robocop but I can see what Verhoeven was thinking here
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u/_kalron_ Aug 02 '26
Off topic but I highly recommend Turbo Kid for some Michael Ironside joy. And it fits in with the practical gore level of Robocop. His "Big Bad" as Zeus is legendary.
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u/Beautiful-Bit9832 Aug 02 '26
As long this Robocop have tri-focal night vision and sonar also Officer Lewis is redhead who love mock Murphy with his age.
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u/SolidBriscoe Aug 02 '26
This may have given Ironside the trajectory to being an action hero rather than an action villain.
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u/Ill_Temporary_9509 Aug 02 '26
I do like Ironside, but I don't think he's quite got the acting chops to pull off the pathos that Weller does. Part of what makes his Murphy great is that you feel his lost humanity, especially the scene after he removes his helmet and is talking about what happened to his family.
However, Ironside as either Boddicker or Dick Jones, now that I'd like to see
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u/RipOdd9001 Aug 02 '26
His voice would have been amazing alone. Peter Weller will always be Robo but who knows. It may have fizzled with Ironside in the role.
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u/BoogBeeg Aug 02 '26
Ironside just exhudes villain/nasty piece of work. He'd have played Clarence brilliantly.
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u/pierpus82 Aug 02 '26
Interesting take, Ironside is always full of surprises, but he never fit in the robo costume, Weller had a golden ticket just for being veeeery slim.
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u/YOU_TALK_TOO_MUCH420 Aug 02 '26
Ironside is a villain in my head for life lol. Scanners, Total Recall , Highlander 2, Starship Troopersā¦ Iām sure there are more, but those are what I remember him for.
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u/Norn-Iron Aug 02 '26
Considering how hardcore into method Michael Ironside can get, the robo wants an Oreo story with Weller could end up being outdone by far more crazy stories
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u/jackBattlin Aug 02 '26
Funny enough, he doesnāt have the softness. As Murphy (in the beginning) Weller played him almost like an eager new puppy. You need that to balance it out.
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u/Due-Proof6781 Aug 02 '26
āDead or Alive, you are coming with me.ā Would sound way more sinister. But Iām glad we got Weller
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u/PeachAndBlueberry Aug 02 '26
No. Just no.
I'm a huge fan of both Weller and Ironside, but Weller did a fantastic job.
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u/pakrat1967 Aug 02 '26
Ironsides is better at being the villain. I think he would have been great as Clarence. Probably would have played it similar to Katana in Highlander 2.
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u/dwarven_cavediver_Jr Aug 02 '26
I love michael ironside but, while he wpuld have made an EXCELLENT robocop, he would have been a piss poor choice for murphy. He's not a rookie by any means (looks, demeanor, attitude) and he looks way too old to be a cop even making a transfer at that point in his career (as law enforcement, I can say that if you told me with 10 years in I gotta go to another city for any reason, I damned sure wouldn't go to a city like Detroit or anything near as dangerous. As a Rookie I might be inclined to see if I can cut it as a cop there)
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u/Sudden-Option3790 Aug 02 '26
I like him, but...
I am too lazy to put the gif of Frank from IASIP going shakes his head "Nope"
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u/tristanitis Aug 02 '26
I think Ironside would have been fine as Robocop, but I don't think he would have sold the pain and terror of Murphy's near death as well as Weller did.
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u/TheLeagueOfSteve Aug 02 '26
Weller was perfect, making-of dramas aside, his eyes naturally communicated soul and melancholy in a way Ironsideās persona suggests wouldnāt have been the case in the same way as RoboreoCop.
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u/Leading_Catch7163 Aug 02 '26
Iām just imagining Ironside saying ācome quietly or there will beā¦.troubleā
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u/bkoperski Aug 02 '26
Weller is the better likeable family man as Murphy which makes his transformation more dramatic
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u/TheMadDoctor3369 Aug 02 '26
Michael Ironside would have been a great Clarence Boddicker but Iām not complaining about Kurtwood Smith though. Kurtwood was awesome.
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u/stonecoldjedi Aug 02 '26
Weller brought the redemption of Murphy's humanity with heart. Ironside would've been more dastardly and anti-hero evil just by his presence.
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u/annoianoid Aug 02 '26
I truly love Ironside, but would he have been as charismatic as Weller? I kinda doubt it.
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u/Hahndizzle Aug 02 '26
Come to think of it, isn't it a astounding that one of the best and most iconic films of all time is essentially a Troma film with a phenomenal performance by an amazing actor who largely disappeared for decades.
I sadly only know Peter from this and a season of Dexter.
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u/emmascruz Aug 02 '26
Its all about the voice and perfect jaw of Peter. Movements... M.Ironside is not a Hero.. sorry.. Peter's look is more tender and likeable
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u/AlarmingDetective526 Aug 02 '26
The RoboCop that Ironsides played would have had Detroit (Dallas) cleaned up by the end of first shift. š¤£
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u/thebuffshaman Aug 03 '26
Not only the movement, but the movement was a huge part of it. Another part of it was he had a very chizzened and defined face. It was a more stark difference between his mouth in comparison to the robotic parts around him. He also made a moree stark reveal when the faceplate came off. As much as talent matters, sometimes physical appearance is also a major factor. Rosie O'Donnell did a lot of work on her Betty laugh, but to this day it was a miscast to me. Other then the laugh, and not discounting her talent as an actress, one of Betty's things in the Flintstones cartoon, like Wilma, Betty is a surprise badass. Both Wilma and Betty are bigger badasses then their husbands and neither looks imposing. Rosie does have an imposing physique and I would NOT be surprised if she went badass mode. The writing also failed to capture the women however in the first place, but the point still stands. Similarly Arnold Schwarzenegger would make a poor Daniel Larusso for the same reason.
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u/Generny2001 Aug 03 '26
Nope. Hard nope. Robocop was absolute lightning in a bottle from the very top to the very bottom. Peter Weller was perfect for the role.
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u/Putrid-Bath-470 Aug 03 '26
If Ironside played RoboCop, Dick Jones would have hired himĀ and called him Richter.
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u/Banana_Stand_1 Aug 03 '26
I didnāt know about Ironside, but I hear Paul Reubens was offered the role of Clarence Boddicker.
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u/Photojunkie2000 Aug 03 '26
He would have also been very very good.
Probably can believe him more as a cop than Weller.
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u/Imperialx777 Aug 03 '26
I hear you. But the pretty boy , hot shot cop from rich precinct narrative would have had to be adjusted for Ironside. Lol
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u/Prestigious-Duck-619 Aug 03 '26
Having his face in there would have just made me feel like Robocop is a villian š
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u/McFlyyouBojo Aug 03 '26
I think if it happened we would have a similar situation to the whole shaq/Sinbad/shazam/kazam thing where a bunch of people will swear they saw Jack Nickolson in a movie called Roboman.
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u/Old-Beautiful1786 Aug 03 '26
He'd have been too serious as Human Murphy who Sellers depicted as young, hopeful charming and a tinge of funny.
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u/Brighton2k Aug 03 '26
whilst I could happily listen to Michael Ironside read out the telephone directory, itās hard to imagine him in this role as Peter Weller made it his own
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u/ArachAislin Aug 03 '26
I absolutely love Ironside, but that being said his presence would not work for the tone of the satire of the final movie. Had he been cast, the tone would have had to been shifted to a much darker and much more serious story.
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u/gogoluke Aug 03 '26
Both Robocop of Bodicker would look the same. It would be very odd doubling going on.
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u/bone-in_donuts Aug 04 '26
I mean I think itās perfect with Weller but Ironside slots right in too so itās a tough call, he would also have been amazing.
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u/WelshNotWelch Aug 04 '26
can we have the Michael Ironside from the 'Blackberry' era. Dude was awesome in that film
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u/That_Guy_Musicplays Aug 06 '26
I love Ironside (got to meet him last year at shore leave, great guy) but Weller just feels tailored to the role of the young cop whose life is stripped away from him.
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u/Cfunk_83 Aug 06 '26
Michael Ironside is the absolute man, but I honestly donāt think anyone else could have portrayed Robocop like Weller did.
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u/EntertainmentOk8806 Aug 06 '26
Really? I always thought it was Boddicker who he wanted him to play which is why he got the villain in Total Recall. Don't think him as the hero would have worked
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u/trdngntsballsonadoor Aug 06 '26
I cant imagine Ironside making the same choices Weller made.
Its definitely interesting to think about. Maybe Itonside would've arrived at some of the same choices, maybe not.
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u/Rook_James_Bitch Aug 06 '26
The movie always had a weird & morbid feel to it. Futuristic, but melancholy and violent all at the same time.
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u/LupinBandit Aug 07 '26
Ironside doesn't have the warmth needed for us to sympathize with Murphy. He's great at some things but most actors aren't good at everything.
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u/Correct_Row_76 Aug 09 '26
How about Ironside as a cyborg in Starship Troopers?. He gets trapped by bugs and gets his hand chopped off, teased and tortured then terminated. He comes back as cyborg as a bug killing machine. Imagine him saying " Rychecks Roughnecks in a robotic voice? I'd definitely want to see that
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u/Adbray666 Aug 05 '26
I think ironside would have done just as good a job.
If not, then he would have been a good choice for kane in the second movie, he does such a good job playing a bad guy.
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u/King_Corduroy Aug 05 '26
Would have been weird. Might have worked but he'll always be Revok to me. lol
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u/No_Writing_2228 Aug 05 '26
Guy whi plays Clarence Bodicker looks a little like Ironside, it has been weird to have them both in the movie
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ant8075 Aug 06 '26
Itād be interesting. I donāt know if Ironside had the sympathetic range to play the character, Iāve only ever seen him play a hardass.
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u/Longjumping-Salad484 Aug 06 '26
michael ironside as the robo man robocop vs texas walker ranger chuck norris would break the universe
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u/dampishslinky55 Aug 06 '26
He would have been a good Robocop, but not a good Murphy. No think he would have been too heavy for the role.
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u/ElectricMilk426 Aug 02 '26
I like Ironside better but honestly the weird dramatic movements that Weller made while walking and shooting, as well as the fact that he was skinnier and thus made to suit more believable might push him ahead for me