MGM's next RoboCop movie, RoboCop Returns, will be a direct sequel to Paul Verhoeven's original. To keep with the Verhoeven tone and feel, director Neill Blomkamp wants to add one critical element: that film's lead Peter Weller.

Screenwriter and co-creator Ed Neumeier spoke to HN Entertainment about why Blomkamp wants Weller to come back and what the actor would bring to the role. “As you know from the press that Neill Blomkamp wants to bring back Peter Weller back and what you get when you do that if you use the DNA of the old property in the new is that you get something that shares continuity and fans can embrace the brand, it’s not too different and what you realize is that when I was sitting and writing 30 years later, rewriting, the second draft of our sequel to RoboCop, which was called The Corporate Wars at the time and is now called RoboCop Returns," he explained.

RELATED: Peter Weller Reportedly Not Interested in Blomkamp RoboCop Reboot

RoboCop Returns is based on a script for a sequel Neumeier wrote back in 1988. It was halted due to a writers' strike, and Frank Miller's two critically panned sequels happened instead. At the time, Weller was a muse for him in the writing process. "I kept hearing Peter’s voice, you know, Peter adds a lot to that," Neumeier recalled.

Back in November, Weller's reps stated that he was not interested in returning to the role. He stepped into the bulky suit for Verhoeven's first film and the sequel in 1990. Since then, the 71-year-old actor has had little to do with the franchise.

The remake in 2014, which starred Joel Kinnaman, failed to renew interest in a way that carried on the legacy. Neumeier and Blomkamp's upcoming film won't tie into any movie but the original, much like the last Halloween.