Sony Officially Reboots Starship Troopers After Helldivers Movie Announcement

Sony is gearing up to bring a fresh take on the iconic military sci-fi novel "Starship Troopers" to the big screen, as confirmed by multiple Hollywood sources including The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety. Esteemed director Neill Blomkamp, known for his work on films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, has been tapped to both write and direct this new adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel.

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

This upcoming project, brought to you by Sony's Columbia Pictures, marks a distinct departure from Paul Verhoeven's cult classic 1997 sci-fi satire, Starship Troopers. Instead, Blomkamp's film will delve directly into the source material, offering a new interpretation of Heinlein's vision.

Interestingly, Sony's decision to greenlight this new adaptation comes on the heels of their announcement of a live-action film based on the popular PlayStation game Helldivers. The game, developed by Arrowhead, draws heavy inspiration from Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, featuring soldiers fighting to protect a satirical fascist regime dubbed Super Earth from alien bugs and other enemies, all while promoting the tenets of Liberty and Managed Democracy.

The simultaneous development of both projects raises intriguing questions about how these films will coexist, especially given their thematic overlap. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Blomkamp's Starship Troopers will focus on a more faithful adaptation of Heinlein’s novel, which is known for its stark contrast in tone to Verhoeven's film. Many interpret Heinlein’s work as endorsing the very ideals that Verhoeven's movie satirizes.

As of now, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a set release date, indicating that fans may have to wait a while to see these projects come to fruition. Blomkamp's most recent venture was with Sony on Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the renowned PlayStation driving simulation series, further solidifying his relationship with the studio.