Set in 1987 , RoboCop is set in a futuristic Detroit plagued by financial ruin and economic collapse . Written by Neumeier , directed by Paul Verhoeven and mostly filmed in Pittsburgh and Dallas , the film paints Detroit as a once-great metropolis and manufacturing hub laid to waste by outsourcing and mass unemployment . In 2012 , Forbes named it the most dangerous U.S. city , and crowned it most miserable in 2013 . The U.S. government provided a $ 80 billion loan for the automotive industry between 2007 - 2010 .
Set in 1987 , RoboCop is set in a futuristic Detroit plagued by financial ruin and economic collapse . In 2012 , Forbes named it the most dangerous U.S. city , and crowned it most miserable in 2013 . The U.S. government provided a $ 80 billion loan for the automotive industry between 2007 - 2010 .