Sony Officially Reboots Starship Troopers After Helldivers Movie Announcement

Sony is reportedly developing a new reboot of the iconic Starship Troopers franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neill Blomkamp, known for directing films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, has been tapped to write and direct this fresh take on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel. The news has been corroborated by Deadline and Variety.

This upcoming Starship Troopers film is a standalone project, distinct from Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 cult classic, which offered a satirical take on Heinlein’s work. Instead, Blomkamp's version aims to be a direct adaptation of the original novel and is being produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures.

Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers satirized the novel upon which it is based. Photo by TriStar Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images.

Interestingly, Sony's decision to greenlight this project comes on the heels of their announcement of a live-action adaptation of the popular PlayStation game, Helldivers, developed by Arrowhead. Helldivers, which draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, features soldiers fighting for a satirical fascist regime known as Super Earth against alien bugs and other foes, all while promoting the ideals of Liberty and Managed Democracy.

The simultaneous development of both projects raises questions about potential competition between the new Starship Troopers and Helldivers films. However, The Hollywood Reporter emphasizes that Blomkamp’s Starship Troopers will not be a remake of Verhoeven’s film but rather a return to the source material. Heinlein’s novel presents a stark contrast to Verhoeven’s satirical approach, with some interpretations suggesting it endorses the very ideals that the 1997 film lampooned.

Currently, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a confirmed release date, indicating 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 driving simulation series.