Now that MGM has locked in director José Padilha for their RoboCop remake, the focus has shifted to casting. Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Johnny Depp have all been mentioned as early contenders to play the lead character of Officer Alex J. Murphy, aka RoboCop, a role originated by Peter Weller.

We reported last month that Joshua Zetumer is taking over screenwriting duties on the project. Since the screenplay is still being written, it seems unlikely that any serious offers will go out to cast members until a draft is done.

RoboCop would provide an interesting challenge for A-list actors such as Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Johnny Depp, since their face would be obscured by that metal mask for a good portion of the movie. However, Robert Downey Jr. pulled it off just fine in Iron Man.

It isn't known when production will start on RoboCop, though a 2013 release date is being considered by MGM. The original 1987 Robocop starred Peter Weller as a Detroit police officer who narrowly escapes death and is revived as a half-man half-robot crime-fighting machine.