Does Director Paul Verhoeven Resemble Robert Redford & Gary Cooper? Metal Gear & Comic Connections
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Robocop (1987) director Paul Verhoeven may resemble Robert Redford & Gary Cooper. One link between them may be The Chase (1966) starring Redford and Marlon Brando. Cooper reportedly bought the rights to Horton Foote's novel The Chase, with the intentions of playing the Sheriff, alongside Montgomery Clift but couldn't secure funding to develop it. Sam Spiegel eventually produced the movie.
Connections:
- Redford's roles in the comic book-based MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) & Avengers: Endgame (2019) may be relevant, some of the themes shown in Verhoeven's films are similar.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies in the 1980's & Robocop were huge influences on comic books in America and beyond. Robocop became part of a comic book universe in the 1990's under publisher Dark Horse that included Predator, Aliens & Terminator.
- WW2 German submarine movie Das Boot (1981) could be another link. Robert Redford was originally considered to play the captain in this, eventually portrayed by Jurgen Prochnow. Longtime Verhoeven collaborator cinematographer Jost Vacano worked on Das Boot.
- Art for the 1987 Konami video game Metal Gear unofficially used promo photos of Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese from James Cameron's The Terminator (1984). Schwarzenegger played the T800 android in this. Gary Cooper was in 1952 western High Noon. Also in this cast was Lee Van Cleef who was in inspiration for Metal Gear character Revolver Ocelot.
(see part 1)
- 1969 original series Star Trek TV episode Whom Gods Destroy may contain an easter egg that hints at this resemblance. Actor Steve Ihnat who played Captain Garth in this was also in The Chase. This episode features a chair and device used to alter the mental state of the inmates / patients of an insane asylum. It is very similar to what is shown in Total Recall in 1990 and described in author Philip K. Dick's We Can Remember It for You Wholesale".