Sony Reboots Starship Troopers After Helldivers Movie Announcement

Sony is reportedly developing a new reboot of the Starship Troopers franchise, with Neill Blomkamp, known for directing films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, set to write and direct. This information comes from reputable sources such as The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety.

This new adaptation will be based directly on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel, rather than serving as a continuation or related project to Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic sci-fi satire, Starship Troopers. The film is being produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures.

The announcement of Blomkamp's involvement with this project is intriguing, especially considering Sony's recent announcement of a live-action film adaptation of the popular PlayStation Studios game, Helldivers. Helldivers, developed by Arrowhead, draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, featuring soldiers combating alien bugs and other factions while promoting the satirical concepts of Liberty and Managed Democracy within a fascist Super Earth regime.

Sony now finds itself in the unique position of potentially having two films, Starship Troopers and Helldivers, that could be seen as competing with each other. However, The Hollywood Reporter emphasizes that Blomkamp’s version will not be a remake of Verhoeven's film but a fresh take on Heinlein's original source material. It's worth noting that Heinlein's novel has a markedly different tone from Verhoeven's adaptation, with some interpretations suggesting it endorses the very ideals the film satirizes.

Currently, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a confirmed release date, indicating that fans may have to wait a while to see these projects come to fruition. Blomkamp's most recent directorial effort was Sony’s Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation driving simulation series.