NEW YORK — Universal Studios announced a reboot of 1980s horror film Maniac Cop, which will now just be called Cop to more accurately reflect the attitudes that viewers in 2022 have towards police officers in general, industry sources have confirmed.
“We believe our authentic approach to the Maniac Cop franchise will have horror fans jumping out of their seats with fear, excitement and frustration,” Universal Pictures spokesperson Richard Emge explained. “We see a lucrative opportunity to take the old tropes of the over-the-top cop films from this era and reframe them with a terrifying sense of realism that will scare the pants off of modern day American audiences. Movies need to keep up with culture at a faster pace these days, and that means that audiences want to see the horrifying reality of police officers told through big budgets and an all-star cast. In 2022, calling a movie Maniac Cop is just redundant.”
Director of the film, Frank Martin, says he thinks his method and approach to filming the reboot will bring a breath of fresh air to the franchise.
“I think [Bill Lustig] missed a lot in his staging of the original film, and I’m excited for the opportunity to carry the torch of his vision,” Martin said. “The average beat cop, with his body cams, paid leave for abuse of power and total class betrayal is far more than anything portrayed by the iconic Robert Z’Dar as Matt Cordell. The reality of the concept is actually quite sad, because well, reality is sad, and along with the help of Universal, I intend to use my artistic vision to capitalize on that sad reality.”
The lead actor attached to the project, Elijah Wood, took time away from shooting on location to talk about his role in the film.
“When I accepted the part in this movie, I knew I was in for something intense,” Wood explained, still visibly traumatized from some of the film’s on-location pre-production work. “Following around an average NYC beat cop for this role really tested my limits. The sheer amount of corruption, bribery and abuse of power these people face on a daily basis took a massive toll on my psyche. I can’t even see reruns of CHiPS without shuddering in sheer terror now. Still, I’m very proud of this film! This is going to be my big Joker moment.”
At the time of press, rumors began to circulate that Universal might continue expanding their “corrupt cop” extended universe with a gritty reboot of classic show Family Matters.
