Today marks the 25th anniversary of what was the much-anticipated theatrical release of Tim Burton‘s original Batman. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of all time when it conquered the summer of 1989 and left its considerable competition eating enough dust to choke Yog-Sothoth, but in the months prior to Batman‘s big screen debut, executives harbored doubts that it could break through with audiences and make movies based on beloved comic books viable moneymakers. Plus, the longtime fans of the Dark Knight were concerned that Hollywood, long-convinced superhero movies were death at the ticket booths, was going to screw this one up royally.

We all know things worked out pretty well for all involved as Batman went on to obliterate every existing box office record and set a new standard for how comic book blockbusters were developed, produced, marketed, and above all respected from that moment forward. In late-1988 Warner Bros. looked many months ahead to the looming June 23, 1989 release date and realized the task of successfully selling this film to summertime movie-going crowds was going to be arduous and potentially a massive failure. They couldn’t afford to make a single misstep with what was going to be a very expensive advertising campaign.

RoboCop
Director: José Padilha
Screenwriter: Joshua Zetumer
Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel
Columbia Pictures
Rated PG-13 | 118 Minutes
Release Date: February 12, 2013

“I’d buy that for a dollar!”

Directed by Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, 1987’s RoboCop is a sci-fi satire that explores themes of greed, privatization, capitalism, dystopia, and identity. The film spawned two theatrical sequels, two animated series, and two live-action television series – not to mention comic books, video games, toys, and theme park rides.

Because the RoboCop franchise was popular and profitable in the ’80s, it was only a matter of time until Hollywood resurrected it. For an industry that rides a fine line between creativity and commerce, movie studios see remakes as a way to mitigate financial risk. Why take a chance on new ideas and original scripts when they can dust off a recognizable brand and put a “new spin” on it, appealing to the audience’s collective nostalgia for said brand? For studios, remakes operate on the simple principle that, even if it sucks, it will still make money.

And so here we are, in the year 2014, with a RoboCop remake by Brazilian director José Padilha, best known for the 2007 crime film Elite Squad and its sequel, 2010’s Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (the highest-grossing film in Brazilian history). The Elite Squad films are action-packed; filled with intense violence, police corruption, and political commentary, which is probably why MGM and Sony chose Padilha to direct in the first place.

At first glance, Scott Waugh‘s (Act of Valor) Need For Speed might look like a terrible carbon copy of one of the installments of the Fast and Furious franchise. But upon closer look, that may not be the case.

Aaron Paul plays Tobey Marshall, a mechanic who participates in an underground racing event that results in one of his closest friends getting killed. After being released from his jail sentence, he rallies his old crew to get revenge on Dino (Dominic Cooper), the person who put him in jail and killed his best friend. But the only way to do that is by getting back behind the wheel of a souped up car and participating in a race that stretches across multiple state lines.

A new trailer for the movie has been released, and you can see it below.

This isn’t the RoboCop you remember. Paul Verhoeven’s film was a mix of over-the-top violence and a satire of the American culture, and while some may be hesitant about José Padilha‘s vision of the film, a new trailer for the remake could change your mind.

The new trailer for the film has premiered online, and it looks to smooth over some of the lingering rough edges that were left behind by the first trailer, which was more concerned about the violence than paying homage to the original.

Watch the new trailer here below.

Aaron Paul‘s time as Jesse Pinkman comes to a dramatic conclusion when Breaking Bad airs its series finale this Sunday. While there is very little chance of seeing the same character on the Breaking Bad Saul Goodman spinoff, we’ll still get to see more of Paul as the actor is making the jump from the small screen to the big screen. The actor will star in next year’s big screen adaptation of Need For Speed, based on the popular video game of the same name.

Check out the first trailer after the jump.