Although he passed on Akira — which is almost certainly dead in its own right (this is the moment Deadline reports a new helmer has been found) — Gary Oldman needs a genre project to occupy his time and amplify his bank account. With that, THR informs us he’s now signing for RoboCop, the José Padilha-directed, Joel Kinnaman-led remake of Paul Verhoeven‘s still-beloved, still-controversial social parody.

Oldman‘s role, once rumored for Edward Norton, will be that of Norton, “the scientist who creates Robocop and finds himself torn between the ideals of the machine trying to rediscover its humanity and the callous needs of a corporation.” The biggest point of interest for the RoboCop faithful — if they’re even behind this new film — would be that mere description; it confirms they’re going in a direction that’s at least slightly different from the original, a direction with (possibly) more moral quandaries. (It adds some credence to a seemingly faulty casting report, too.)

And it’s fine casting, though I do wonder if, as snarkily indicated above, Oldman is just doing this because there’s some nice money in it all. Now, I know we all love the guy and hold him as one of our finest, but this is the same actor who gladly (or, perhaps, begrudgingly) took roles in Red Riding Hood, The Unborn, and Planet 51 over the past few years. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope RoboCop isn’t next in that line.

RoboCop will open on August 9th, 2013.

What do you think Oldman will contribute to RoboCop? Is he a valuable addition?