Last we heard, Josh Zetumer was offering his cooperation in the Robocop screenplay department, but it now seems that director Jose Padilha is taking further names. The latest Robocop draft will download from the hard drive of Nick Schenk.

Schenk's highest-profile previous gig was as the screenwriter of Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. That in itself seems kind of appropriate in a six-degrees-of-separation kind of way: Clint was a formative influence on Judge Dredd, and Dredd is a clear touchstone for Robocop.

But Schenk has collaborated with Padilha before, on the as-yet unproduced South American political actioner Tri-Border. Clearly the two found a working relationship that they care to continue. Schenk also wrote something called Factory Accident Sex in 2002, but maybe we shouldn't mention that. Oh, we did.

The new Robocop stumbled during the MGM shenanigans, and lost its mooted director Darren Aronofsky along the way. We can only imagine what his version might have amounted to, but after talking with the likes of Robert Rodriguez and David Slade, the studio's alighting at Padilha is an interesting and exciting choice. The grittily excellent Elite Squad films made more money at the Brazilian box office than Avatar, and the second instalment was last year's Brazilian nomination for Oscar consideration.

Nobody's been cast in the metal suit yet, although Padilha has said he'd like Michael Fassbender. Well, who wouldn't?

MGM hope to start shooting in the summer.