Darren Aronofsky has signed on to direct a new installment in the “RoboCop” franchise which gained a wide following in the late 1980s.

Darren Aronofsky has been confirmed as helmer of the upcoming “RoboCop” film, set for a 2010 release date via MGM.  

Aronofsky, writer and director of “The Fountain,” will collaborate with screenwriter David Self (“Road to Perdition”).

While MGM has not revealed much about the film’s plot, trade paper Variety quotes insiders saying the new installment will take a nor direction.

The revival of “RoboCop” was first announced during the Cannes Film Festival in May, through MGM chairman Mary Parent and MGM chairman-CEO Harry Sloan.

The classic story of a passionate police officer who is mortally wounded and then brought to life as a crime-fighting human-machine hybrid will benefit from the latest filmmaking technology and a budget as generous as $100 million, per the Hollywood Reporter.

The first “RoboCop” film came out in 1987, directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, for Orion Pictures.

Phoenix Pictures’ Mike Medavoy, who produced the original film, is also producing the new one along with Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and David Thwaites.

The actor that first embodied the powerful cyborg whose interior remained human was Peter Weller. The hero was such a popular figure that sequels followed in 1990 and 1993, as well as TV series and video games.

Aronofsky is currently putting finishing touches on the feature “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. His credits include, besides “The Fountain,” which starred actress and longtime partner Rachel Weisz, “Pi” and “Requiem for a Dream.”

Self’s schedule includes God of War at Universal and the “Wolf Man” remake. His credits include “Thirteen Days” and “Road to Perdition.”