Neill Blomkamp Takes on a Fresh ‘Starship Troopers’ Movie for Sony
Big news for sci-fi lovers! Sony’s Columbia Pictures is bringing back ‘Starship Troopers,’ and they’ve tapped Neill Blomkamp to write and direct it. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the guy who gave us ‘District 9,’ a movie that mixed aliens and real-world grit in a way that stuck with people. Now he’s diving into Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel, and I’m already curious about what he’ll do with it.
This isn’t a redo of the 1997 ‘Starship Troopers’ film that Paul Verhoeven made. That one, with its over-the-top military vibes and bug battles, starred folks like Denise Richards, Casper Van Dien, and Neil Patrick Harris. It cost over $100 million to make but only pulled in $121 million at the box office. Still, it found a second life as a cult favorite. Blomkamp’s version, though, is skipping that satire and going straight back to the book’s roots.
What’s the story about? Well, Heinlein’s novel follows Johnny Rico, a soldier climbing the ranks in a war against giant alien bugs. It’s got some big ideas too, like tying citizenship to military service. We don’t know much about Blomkamp’s plot yet, but I’d bet it’s got humans fighting those creepy crawlies again. He’s producing this one with his wife, Terri Tatchell, who helped him write ‘District 9’ and ‘Chappie.’
Blomkamp’s no stranger to Sony. He worked with them on ‘Gran Turismo,’ based on the PlayStation game, which hit theaters in 2023 and made over $122 million worldwide. Before that, he did ‘Elysium’ with Matt Damon and ‘Chappie,’ both sci-fi flicks with a grounded feel. His first big splash, ‘District 9,’ even scored four Oscar nods, including Best Picture. The guy knows how to blend action with deeper themes.
The 1997 movie wasn’t the end of the line for ‘Starship Troopers.’ It kicked off a couple of direct-to-video sequels—‘Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation’ in 2004 and ‘Starship Troopers 3: Marauder’ in 2008, where Casper Van Dien came back as Rico. Then there were two animated films, ‘Starship Troopers: Invasion’ in 2012 and ‘Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars’ in 2017. Sony’s been tossing around reboot ideas since 2011, but Blomkamp’s attachment feels like it’s finally happening.
THR reported, ‘While exact plot details remain closely guarded, the new “Starship Troopers” is said to draw inspiration from Heinlein’s original military story, rather than pulling from the fascist send-up that characterized Verhoeven’s satirical adaptation.’
They also mentioned Blomkamp’s knack for ‘deep themes while balancing human-versus-aliens conflicts.’ Another bit from the chatter: ‘Yeah, not even composer Basil Poledouris’ rousing score can totally override my sense of dread.’ That’s about the 1997 ending, but it shows how people still feel the weight of this story.
For now, we’re waiting to hear more. Blomkamp’s got a track record of bold sci-fi, so I’m crossing my fingers he nails this one. If he does, we might be back on Klendathu blasting bugs before we know it.