After Announcing a Helldivers Movie, Sony Is Now Officially Rebooting Starship Troopers

Sony Pictures is developing a new film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 science fiction novel, Starship Troopers. Multiple Hollywood sources, including The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety, confirm that Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, is attached to write and direct.

This new adaptation is distinct from Paul Verhoeven's 1997 satirical film of the same name. Instead, it will be a fresh interpretation of Heinlein's original novel. The project originates from Sony's Columbia Pictures.

The announcement is intriguing, given Sony's concurrent development of a Helldivers live-action film. Arrowhead Game Studios' Helldivers, a PlayStation Studios title, draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, sharing its themes of militaristic societies battling insectoid aliens. This creates an interesting parallel, though The Hollywood Reporter clarifies that Blomkamp's Starship Troopers will be a direct adaptation of the source material, not a remake of Verhoeven's film. Heinlein's novel differs substantially in tone from the Verhoeven adaptation, leading many to believe it espouses the very ideals the film satirizes.

Neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers film has a confirmed release date. Blomkamp's most recent project was Sony's Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation racing simulation series.