Sony is reportedly developing a new reboot of the Starship Troopers franchise, with acclaimed director Neill Blomkamp, known for films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, set to write and direct. This news has been confirmed by multiple Hollywood sources, including The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety.
This upcoming Starship Troopers film is a fresh adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel, and it is being produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures. It is important to note that this project is not connected to Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic sci-fi satire of the same name. Instead, it aims to offer a new interpretation of Heinlein's original work.
Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers satirized the novel upon which it is based. Photo by TriStar Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images.
The announcement of Blomkamp's involvement in this new Starship Troopers project comes at an interesting time, as Sony recently revealed plans for a live-action adaptation of the popular PlayStation Studios game, Helldivers. Helldivers, developed by Arrowhead, draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, featuring soldiers fighting for a satirical fascist regime called Super Earth against alien bugs and other foes, all while promoting the concepts of Liberty and Managed Democracy.
With both the new Starship Troopers and Helldivers movies in development, Sony faces the challenge of managing two projects that, while different in their approach, share thematic elements. Blomkamp's version is set to diverge from Verhoeven's by focusing more closely on the tone and themes of Heinlein's novel, which some interpret as promoting the very ideals that Verhoeven's film satirized.
As of now, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a confirmed release date, suggesting that fans may have to wait a while before seeing either project come to fruition. Blomkamp's most recent directorial effort was Sony's Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the renowned PlayStation-exclusive driving simulation series.
