Sony is reportedly developing a new reboot of the iconic "Starship Troopers" franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neill Blomkamp, the acclaimed director behind "District 9," "Elysium," and "Chappie," will helm this fresh adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel. Both Deadline and Variety have corroborated this exciting news.
This upcoming "Starship Troopers" film is distinct from Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic, which famously satirized the source material. Instead, Blomkamp's project, under Sony's Columbia Pictures, aims to offer a new interpretation directly inspired by Heinlein's novel.
The announcement of Blomkamp's involvement in this reboot raises some eyebrows, especially since Sony recently unveiled plans for a live-action adaptation of the popular PlayStation game "Helldivers." "Helldivers," developed by Arrowhead, draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," featuring soldiers fighting alien bugs and promoting the satirical themes of "Liberty and Managed Democracy" within a fascist regime.
With Sony now set to release both a new "Starship Troopers" and "Helldivers" film, there's potential for overlap between the two projects. However, The Hollywood Reporter emphasizes that Blomkamp's vision will not be a remake of Verhoeven's film but rather a return to the original tone and themes of Heinlein's novel, which some interpret as endorsing the very ideologies Verhoeven chose to critique.
As of now, neither the new "Starship Troopers" nor the "Helldivers" movie has a confirmed release date, suggesting fans may have to wait a while before seeing these projects come to fruition. Blomkamp's most recent directorial effort was Sony's "Gran Turismo," based on the renowned PlayStation driving simulation series.
