University of Northampton graduate is making RoboCop documentary

A fan-funded documentary which examines the legacy of Robocop is being made by a University of Northampton graduate.

Film-maker Christopher Griffiths, who graduated from the Media Production degree course in 2013, raised £34,000 on the Kickstarter funding platform to make RoboDoc, which explores the making and legacy of the RoboCop franchise.

The original RoboCop film, tells the story of a murdered US police officer brought back to life as the superhuman cyborg law enforcer RoboCop, was a box office hit, grossing more than $50m in North America alone.

Mr Griffiths, who runs his own production company, Cult Screenings, said: “This has very much been a dream project for me.

“It’ll be very hard to top this one if I am honest, as RoboCop was where it all started for me at a young impressionable age and ultimately led me to where I am now in film making and telling the stories of how such beloved cult classics came to be.”

Mr Griffiths and his crew spent a whirlwind three weeks shooting in the States this summer, which saw them interview more than 50 cast and crew, including RoboCop director, Paul Verhoeven, writers Michael Miner and Ed Neumeier and other principal cast members and crew. More filming will take place over the next few months.

The project has been funded by 520 backers who donated £34,000 to Cult Screenings via the Kickstarter funding platform.

Mr Griffiths said: “This was very much my company’s most ambitious project to date, with us aiming for an initial total of £20,000 – now I honestly don’t know how we would have done it without the excess amount.

“I was kind of surprised by the amount we raised, but as a fan of the original movie, I know there are lot of like-minded people out there who love this iconic figure of RoboCop, who all seemed to see this film at far too young an age, but ultimately grew up with it and have their perceptions of the movie change as they grew older, which is a topic I am covering within this project.”

RoboDoc is slated for a July 2017 DVD and Blu-ray release, to coincide with RoboCop’s 30th anniversary, plus there are plans for screenings in both Dallas and Los Angeles. Christopher also hopes the documentary will make appearances at film festivals around the globe.

Download our app by clicking here to download from Google Play or clicking here to download from Apple’s App Store.