So much for those rumors of Michael Fassbender or Russell Crowe (the latter of which was recently debunked anyhow). It looks like neither of those two stars will be leading the new “RoboCop” remake that Brazilian helmer José Padilha (“Elite Squad”) will be directing.
Instead, apparently AMC’s “The Killing” star Joel Kinnaman is getting the call to step up from the minors into the big leagues. Deadline reports that MGM is making an offer to the Swedish actor, known for his turn in the Swedish crime hit “Snabba Cash” and the aforementioned AMC crime drama, and we assume this means he’ll take it, provided it won’t interfere with further seasons of “The Killing” (season two is set to begin this spring).
Kinnaman’s been on the roster as a potential lead for a minute now. Steven Soderbergh wanted him as the co-lead to his now shuttered version of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and he was intended to be one of the leads of “Arthur & Lancelot,” before Warner Bros. deep-sixed the project because its budget was skyrocketing. Kinnaman also has a small role in “Snabba Cash” director Daniel Espinosa’s English-language debut, “Safe House.” After two years of delays, “Snabba Cash,” retitled “Easy Money” for the U.S. market, will finally hit U.S. theaters this summer. It’s definitely a strong crime film worth checking out and once you see it, you’ll know how the young actor nabbed not only “The Killing” lead, but got on Hollywood’s radar. Josh Zetumer, the hot scribe who penned the unused "Bourne 4" script before Paul Greengrass dropped out, wrote the "RoboCop" remake script.