The sci-fi action film Timecop marks its 32nd anniversary on September 16, 2026. Rumors of a reboot have persisted for years, but Universal Pictures' related plans initiated in 2014 have yet to materialize, with no substantial progress made in over a decade.
Timecop was released on September 16, 1994, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film was not an original project but was adapted from the同名 anthology comic series launched by Dark Horse Comics in 1992, with three stories titled "Timecop: The Man Out of Time" conceived by Mike Richardson. Richardson then co-wrote the film's screenplay with Mark Verheiden.
In the film, time travel only allows journeys into the past, not the future. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Max Walker, an agent of the Time Enforcement Commission tasked with preventing others from traveling back in time to alter history. Walker's wife is murdered by unidentified assailants in 1994, and the main plot takes place ten years later, when he has become a seasoned agent.
Timecop had a production budget of approximately $27–28 million and grossed $102 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film received mixed reviews upon release; Van Damme's performance was praised, but the direction and story design drew some criticism.
The film later spawned a sequel, a TV series, novelizations, comic book adaptations, and video games. The sequel, Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision, was released nine years later without Van Damme, starring Jason Scott Lee instead. The TV series was originally planned for 13 episodes, but only 9 were aired; the eponymous video game Timecop was released for the Super Nintendo in 1995.
Universal Pictures hired Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn to write a reboot script in 2014. The plan at the time also involved Mike Richardson returning as executive producer, but it was not confirmed whether Van Damme would participate, and the project ultimately never entered production.
More than a decade has passed since Universal Pictures last announced its reboot intentions. There is currently no news indicating that the new version of Timecop has been restarted, and it remains uncertain whether this long-rumored project will still move forward.