New Starship Troopers Movie Is Happening With A Veteran Sci-Fi Director

In 1997, director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Edward Neumeier, the makers of 1987’s “RoboCop,” reteamed to make “Starship Troopers,” a satirical take on Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel. “Starship Troopers” takes place in a future where Earth has, for many decades, been at war with giant, intelligent insects from a distant planet. Human society, however, has devolved into a fascist state, and people have all become empty-headed, fist-pumping propaganda vehicles. Media has become bite-sized, and in-your-face. It’s no coincidence that the humans are all wearing very Nazi-like uniforms by the film’s end. 

“Starship Troopers” wasn’t fully appreciated in 1997. It got mostly negative reviews, and many critics didn’t seem to pick up on its more satirical elements. It was also only a modest hit, making $121 million on a $100 million budget (sizable at the time). Since then, however, it found its audience, proliferating on home video and on the midnight movie circuit. Its critical reappraisal has found many calling it one of the better sci-fi movies of its decade. Many feel they can now place “Starship Troopers” alongside “RoboCop.” 

The film spawned an animated TV series adaptation in 2000, two straight-to-video sequels in 2004 and 2005 (both written by Neumeier), and two anime spin-offs, from 2012 and 2017. It hasn’t been a lucrative blockbuster franchise by any means — the DTV movies were only made for a few million dollars each — but people recall the 1997 film with fondness. 

Which is why this may be happening: The Hollywood Reporter says Neill Blomkamp, the director of “District 9,” “Chappie,” and “Gran Turismo,” will be making a new film version of “Starship Troopers.” His goal is to adapt Heinlein’s original novel more closely, and not necessarily remake Verhoeven’s film. 

Heinlein’s original novel is extremely unlike Verhoeven’s adaptation. Heinlein gave over much of his book to dialogue, mostly devoted to the philosophy of war. Although it’s open to interpretation, Heinlein’s book seems very much to be a pro-combat text. Verhoeven’s film, on the other hand, is massively violent, pointedly plot-driven, and has multiple extended combat sequences wherein hundreds of bullets are fired. Indeed, it broke a record for the number of bullets fired on screen in an American movie. It’s very clearly lampooning militaristic thinking, and depicting what happens when militant thinking takes over a national ethos. 

If Blomkamp is to be taken at his word, his new “Starship Troopers” will be talky and thoughtful. Whether or not it is pro-war or anti-war will depend on how he interprets Heinlein’s novel, and how he makes his movie. 

This is not the first time Blomkamp has declared that he has wanted to remake a beloved sci-fi classic. Back in 2015, Blomkamp released concept art for an “Alien” film he wanted to make. His concept, however, was to ignore the events of “Alien³,” “Alien: Resurrection,” and “Prometheus,” and make a direct sequel to James Cameron’s 1986 “Aliens.” It was to be, essentially, “Aliens 2.” That project fell apart. In 2018, it was announced that he’d be remaking “RoboCop” in his own idiom (which he already kind of did with “Chappie,” another robot movie). That film, too, would ignore the extant sequels and follow directly from the 1987 original. That film, too, also fell apart. 

Time will tell if Blomkamp’s “Starship Troopers” is actually made, as his track record on reboots is very poor. If it does happen, fans may be eager to see if it will outdo Verhoeven’s ultra-violent bug massacre, or if it will be more thoughtful than that.