ROBOCOP Taps THE WIRE Star Michael Kenneth Williams for Alex Murphy's Police Partner

Robocop, a remake of the 1987 sci-fi/action film that features a cybernetic law enforcement officer who patrols the streets of Detroit, is currently in production in preparation for theatrical release in 2013.

In RoboCop, the year is 2029 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the centre of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilises their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.

Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire, The Wire, Community) is the latest actor being pursued for the upcoming film which is prepping to begin filming this September in Toronto, Canada.

Williams would play a Detroit city police officer who is a close family friend and partner to Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman). The role was originally played by Nancy Allen in the 1987 film, who also reprised the part for both sequels.

Robocop is being directed by José Padilha (Tropa de Elite/Elite Squad) off a screenplay by Josh Zetumer (Quantum of Solace, The Bourne Legacy) and Nick Schenk (Gran Torino). The film stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Hugh Laurie, Jackie Earle Haley, Jay Baruchel and Peter Weller and will be released in theaters August 9th, 2013.