In the summer of 2010, merely months after MGM's declaration of bankruptcy, Darren Aronofsky officially withdrew from the RoboCop project. Shortly thereafter, he became involved with The Wolverine, a venture that not only reunited him with Hugh Jackman, his leading man from The Fountain, but also consumed all his commitments to blockbuster filmmaking. By September 2010, Aronofsky addressed the media to elucidate the reasons behind his departure from RoboCop. Speculations had circulated that MGM's insistence on producing the remake in digital 3D (a format recently popularized by Avatar) played a pivotal role in prompting the auteur to step away from the RoboCop project.
In response, Aronofsky straightforwardly attributed his departure from the project to MGM's financial upheaval. Unwilling to remain in limbo as the cash-strapped studio grappled with its fiscal challenges and risk missing out on other opportunities, he made the pragmatic decision to step away from RoboCop. This rationale echoed similar explanations offered by filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, who also withdrew from projects affected by MGM's bankruptcy, such as The Hobbit. Once optimistic that a remake of a blockbuster like RoboCop could forestall bankruptcy, MGM's dire financial circumstances ultimately condemned this iteration of the reboot to the proverbial scrap heap.
Following MGM's revival, a RoboCop remake swiftly became one of its initial priorities as a rejuvenated movie studio. However, it was filmmaker Jose Padilha who took the reins for the modernized RoboCop, while Darren Aronofsky moved on to projects like Noah. In an interview with Den of Geek, Padilha casually revealed a significant detail about Aronofsky's original vision for the RoboCop remake – it was set in the distant future, precisely 3,000 years ahead. This stark departure from the original RoboCop, which existed in a gritty reality only marginally removed from the then-contemporary 1980s, emphasized Aronofsky's commitment to imparting his distinctive touch to the iconic franchise.
Padilha opted for a more contemporary setting instead of the distant future envisioned by Aronofsky. However, the prospect of Aronofsky, a filmmaker known for his distinct style, undertaking a RoboCop movie that aimed to revolutionize the original concept from its core sounded considerably more enticing than the eventual light-hearted reimagining audiences received. The lesson gleaned from the 2000s was clear – if Aronofsky became attached to a blockbuster property, his tenure would be brief. Despite his affinity for characters like RoboCop, it became evident that Aronofsky was not suited for the realm of franchise filmmaking.