When I heard that MGM’s attempt to remake RoboCop was finally coming together, I made a promise to myself to avoid as much news on the movie’s development as I could; being a zealous fan of the 1987 original, anyone thinking they could reboot the franchise and do it justice was something I found insulting. But the news coming out about the project has, slowly but surely, been wearing me down. First, they hired José Padilha to direct the movie, a man who has earned raves for his Elite Squad movies and someone I’ve heard doesn’t shy away from violence.

Then, after casting unknown Joel Kinnaman as the lead (Alex Murphy/RoboCop), MGM let loose with a series of casting announcements that have gotten more and more interesting: first it was Gary Oldman, followed by Samuel L. Jackson/Jay Baruchel, Jackie Earle Haley, Hugh Laurie, and Abbie Cornish. For a reboot no one was really looking forward to, it has attracted quite the cast to bring it to life and has turned this once-proud RoboCop zealot into someone that, man, was interested to see MGM’s new take on the franchise. And that’s despite the less-than-stellar beginning to their viral marketing campaign.

And now we can add another member to an already impressive cast, as Deadline reports that Jennifer Ehle (semi-recently seen in Contagion) has entered talks to suit up for the movie. Ehle is a two-time Tony Award winner and is starring in Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty, so, although her name isn’t as well-known, her credentials are not too shabby. This casting news, unfortunately, comes with no information on what role she would play, but adding another accomplished actress does do a lot to quell my nervousness about the impending reboot.

Look, I know that rebooting RoboCop is sacrilege; I’m sure I’ve said as much in the past. But the casting announcements — plus the talent behind the camera — is making me keep an open mind. I feel like that poor bastard whose eyelids were forced open in A Clockwork Orange.

RoboCop is slated for release on August 9th, 2013.

Does Ehle boost confidence in RoboCop?