Editing RoboCop (section)

=== Development ===
[[File:Paul Verhoeven Cannes 2016.jpg|thumb|alt=A 2016 photograph of Paul Verhoeven|upright|Director [[Paul Verhoeven]] ''(pictured in 2016)'' rejected the ''RoboCop'' script twice before taking to its underlying story about a character losing his identity.]]
The first draft of the script, ''RoboCop: The Future of Law Enforcement'', was given to industry friends and associates in early 1985.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/><ref name="SFX"/><ref name="LATimesNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|pp=23–24}}}} A month later, Neumeier and Miner had two offers: one from [[Atlantic Entertainment Group|Atlantic Releasing]]<ref name="LATimesNeumeier"/> and another from director [[Jonathan Kaplan]] and producer [[Jon Davison (film producer)|Jon Davison]] with [[Orion Pictures]].<ref name="UproxxRetro"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|pp=23–24}} An experienced producer of [[exploitation film|exploitation]] and [[B movie|B films]] such as the parody ''[[Airplane!]]'' (1980), Davison said that he was drawn to the script's satire.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/><ref name="UproxxRetro"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|pp=23–24}} He showed Neumeier and Miner films—including ''[[Madigan]]'' (1968), ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' (1971), and ''[[Mad Max 2]]'' (1981)—to demonstrate the tone he wanted. After Orion [[Green-light|greenlit]] the project, Neumeier and Miner began a second draft.{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}}

Davison produced the film with his Tobor Pictures company.{{sfn|Niderost|1987a|p=58}}{{sfn|Drake|1987|p=20}} Neumeier and Miner were paid a few thousand dollars for the script rights and $25,000 between them for the rewrite. They were entitled to eight percent of the producer profits upon release.<ref name="LATimesNeumeier"/><ref name="DeadlineBlomkamp"/> Davison's contacts with puppeteers, animators, and practical effects designers were essential to Verhoeven, who had no prior experience with them.<ref name="UproxxRetro"/> The producers discussed changing the Detroit setting, but Neumeier insisted on its importance because of its failing auto industry.  The connection between Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones was added at Orion's suggestion.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>

Kaplan left to direct ''[[Project X (1987 film)|Project X]]'' (1987), and finding his replacement took six months; many prospects declined because of the film's title.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}}<ref name="IndieWireCast"/>{{sfn|Warren|1987|p=19}}<ref name="Telegraph"/>}} The project was offered to [[David Cronenberg]], [[Alex Cox]], and [[Monte Hellman]]; Hellman joined as [[second unit|second-unit director]].<ref name="LATimesNeumeier"/><ref name="IndieWireCast"/><ref name="AVClubAlexCox"/> Miner asked to direct, but Orion refused to trust a $7{{nbsp}}million project to an untested director.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|pp=23, 25}} He declined the second-unit director position in order to direct ''[[Deadly Weapon]]'' (1989);<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}} Orion executive Barbara Boyle suggested Paul Verhoeven—who had been praised for his work on ''[[Soldier of Orange]]'' (1977) and his first English-language film, [[Flesh and Blood (1985 film)|''Flesh+Blood'']] (1985)—for director.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/><ref name="UproxxRetro"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}} Verhoeven looked at the first page and rejected the script as awful, stalling the project.<ref name="EsquireOral"/><ref name="UproxxRetro"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}} Boyle sent Verhoeven another copy, suggesting that he pay attention to the subtext.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/> Verhoeven was still uninterested until his wife Martine read it and encouraged him to give it a chance, saying he had missed the "soul" of the story about someone losing his identity.  Not fluent in English, Verhoeven said that the satire did not make sense to him;<ref name="EsquireOral"/> the scene that attracted his attention was RoboCop returning to Murphy's abandoned home and experiencing memories of his former life.<ref name="DallasHistory"/><ref name="EsquireOral"/>

Davison, Neumeier and Verhoeven discussed the project at [[Culver Studios]]' [[Culver Studios#Mansion House|Mansion House]].<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/> Verhoeven wanted to direct it as a serious film; Neumeier gave him comic books to explain the tone they wanted, including [[2000 AD (comics)|''2000 AD'']] with the character [[Judge Dredd]].<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}} Neumeier and Miner wrote a third draft based on Verhoeven's requests, working through injuries and late nights; the 92-page revision included a subplot about a romantic affair between Murphy and Lewis.<ref name="VultureTidbits"/><ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}} After reading it, Verhoeven admitted that he was wrong and returned to the second draft in search of a comic-book tone.<ref name="TheDissolveNeumeier"/>{{sfn|Goldberg|1988|p=25}}{{sfn|Niderost|1987d|pp=36, 38}}