Oscar-nominated actor Gary Oldman has signed on to star in RoboCop for MGM Studios and director José Padilha.

We reported back in March that The Killing star Joel Kinnaman will play Alex J. Murphy, a Detroit cop who is shot and left for dead on the street. He is rebuilt as the half-man half-robot crime-fighting machine known as RoboCop, who goes on a mission to clean up the Motor City's mean streets.

Gary Oldman will play Norton, the scientist who created the title character, who is torn between the morality of this machine trying to reclaim its humanity, and the needs of the corporation he works for. The character was not featured in the original 1987 Robocop, which starred Peter Weller.

José Padilha will direct from a screenplay by Joshua Zetumer. The production is considering shooting in Toronto, although no specific start date has been given.