Sony Reboots Starship Troopers After Helldivers Movie Announcement

Sony is reportedly developing a new reboot of the Starship Troopers franchise, with acclaimed director Neill Blomkamp, known for films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, set to write and direct. This new project, announced by The Hollywood Reporter and confirmed by Deadline and Variety, is a fresh adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel, distinct from Paul Verhoeven's 1997 satirical take on the same source material. The reboot is being produced under 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 new Starship Troopers movie comes at a time when the studio has also announced a live-action adaptation of the popular PlayStation game Helldivers. Helldivers, developed by Arrowhead, draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, featuring soldiers fighting alien bugs in a satirical fascist regime promoting "Liberty and Managed Democracy."

The simultaneous development of these two projects raises questions about potential competition within Sony's own portfolio. However, The Hollywood Reporter clarifies that Blomkamp's Starship Troopers will not be a remake of Verhoeven's film but a direct adaptation of Heinlein's novel, which differs significantly in tone and message from the 1997 movie. While Heinlein's book is often interpreted as promoting the ideals that Verhoeven satirized, Blomkamp's approach promises to explore the source material anew.

As of now, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a confirmed release date, suggesting fans may have to wait some time for further updates. Blomkamp's most recent project was Sony's Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the renowned PlayStation driving simulation game series.