Verhoeven is said to have looked at the first page and discarded the script, calling it a "piece of shit"; reports vary. This rejection stalled the project. Boyle sent Verhoeven another copy, suggesting he pay attention to the subtext. Verhoeven was still uninterested, until his wife Martine read it and encouraged him to give it a chance, saying he had missed the "soul" of the story about someone losing their identity. Being not fluent in English, Verhoeven admitted the satire did not make sense to him. The scene that gained his attention was RoboCop returning to Murphy's abandoned home and experiencing lingering memories of his former life.