Dan Stevens Cast as RoboCop in Prime Video Series and We Are Very Into This

Dan Stevens is officially stepping into some very big metallic shoes. The Downton Abbey and Legion star has been cast as Alex Murphy and his cyborg alter ego RoboCop in Prime Video’s upcoming RoboCop series, giving the long awaited television adaptation its first major casting announcement.

The casting is a pretty exciting choice for a franchise that has been trying to make its way back to television for years. Stevens has already shown that he can handle drama, comedy, action and some seriously strange characters, so watching him transform into one of science fiction’s most recognizable law enforcement icons could be a lot of fun. And yes, we are already picturing him delivering RoboCop’s famous deadpan intensity while wearing that giant suit. Television just got a little more interesting.

Dan Stevens Is the New RoboCop

Stevens will play Alex Murphy, the police officer whose consciousness becomes implanted into a powerful robotic body after he falls in the line of duty. The new series is based on the MGM franchise and will feature an eight episode first season on Prime Video.

The series comes from writer and showrunner Peter Ocko, who is also executive producing. James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett are executive producers through Blumhouse Atomic Monster, while original RoboCop co writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner are also executive producers.

The official premise follows a giant technology company that convinces a city to put a powerful robot on its police force. The catch is that the robot contains the consciousness of a beloved fallen officer, Alex Murphy. So basically, corporate technology meets law enforcement meets one very complicated identity crisis. You know, totally normal television stuff.

Why Dan Stevens Makes Sense for the Role

Stevens is probably best known to television viewers for playing Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey, but his career has taken some wonderfully unexpected turns since then. He later starred in FX’s Legion, where he played a character whose reality and identity were constantly being questioned, and he also played the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. His more recent credits include Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Cuckoo and other genre projects that have given him plenty of experience stepping outside traditional drama.

That range could work particularly well for RoboCop because Alex Murphy needs to feel like an actual human being underneath all that machinery. The character is not simply a robot walking around arresting people. There is a person inside the armor, and the tension between Murphy’s humanity and his programming is a major part of the story.

Stevens has certainly proven that he can handle complicated characters.

RoboCop Is Coming to Prime Video

The new RoboCop series was officially ordered by Prime Video in July with an eight episode order. The project has been in development for several years, with Ocko leading the creative side and Wan involved as an executive producer.

There is currently no premiere date announced for the series, and Stevens is the first major cast member revealed.

That means there are still plenty of questions surrounding the project. Who else will join Stevens? When will production begin? And perhaps most importantly, what is RoboCop going to look like when he finally arrives on Prime Video?

For now, the casting alone is enough to get our attention.

Dan Stevens taking on RoboCop is certainly not the casting choice we had on our television bingo card, but we are absolutely here for it. The actor has the dramatic range, the genre experience and the ability to play characters who are just a little bit unusual.

Now Prime Video just needs to give us a release date and let us see that suit. Dan Stevens is RoboCop. And honestly, we need to see this immediately.