Though production has yet to beging, things aren’t exactly looking up for MGM’s RoboCop remake. Earlier this month, HitFix’s Drew McWheeny got his hands on a copy of the script and gave it a rather scathing review, and just last week we learned that talks with Hugh Laurie to play the film’s villain broke down. Now word comes that director Jose Padilha isn’t exactly having an easy time getting his vision across. He’s apparently having to fight for every idea he has, and most of what he wants is being turned down by the studio. Hit the jump for more.

The quotes actually come not from Padilha, but from his good friend Fernando Meirelles (City of God). Here’s what he had to say to Cinemacom Rapadura (via ScreenCrush):

“I talked to José Padilha for a week by phone. He will begin filming Robocop. He is saying that it is the worst experience. For every 10 ideas he has, 9 are cut. Whatever he wants, he has to fight… ‘This is hell here,’ he told me. ‘The film will be good, but I never suffered so much and do not want to do it again.’ He is bitter, but it’s a fighter.”

The wording’s a little rough because it’s been through Google Translator, but the gist is there. This is Padilha’s first major feature film (he previously directed Elite Squad), so it’s not exactly surprising that MGM is keeping a close watch on the property. That said, it sounds like the studio is really at odds with what Padilha wants to do.

I didn’t think much of the RoboCop remake at first, but Padilha assembled an impressive cast that grabbed my attention. Joel Kinnaman is set as the lead, with Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle and Michael K. Williams rounding out the supporting cast. One has to think it was Padilha’s strong vision that pulled in so many talented people, so hopefully enough of the director will shine through in the finished product.