Brazilian helmer Jose Padilha is in talks to direct MGM's reboot of ROBOCOP, reports Deadline.com. The original 1987 film followed a cop, who is gunned down by gang members, and then resurrected as a cyborg cop who struggles with the buried memories of his past life.

The remake has been a big priority at MGM even before the new post-bankruptcy management change. At one time Darren Aronofsky was developing the project.

Padilha's ELITE SQUAD series was a huge hit in his home country. The sequel out-grossed AVATAR, SHREK FOREVER AFTER and ALICE IN WONDERLAND last year in Brazil. The director first made waves with his nail-biting documentary BUS 174 about a bus taken hostage that played out on live TV.