Sony Officially Reboots Starship Troopers After Helldivers Movie Announcement

Sony is actively developing a new reboot of the iconic Starship Troopers franchise, with renowned director Neill Blomkamp, known for films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, set to helm the project. Blomkamp will both write and direct this fresh adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, with corroboration from Deadline and Variety.

This upcoming Starship Troopers film is a standalone project and does not continue the narrative or themes of Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic sci-fi satire of the same name. Instead, it aims to offer a new perspective on Heinlein’s original work and is being produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures.

Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers provided a satirical take on the source material. Photo by TriStar Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images.

Interestingly, Sony's decision to greenlight this project comes shortly after announcing a live-action adaptation of the popular PlayStation game Helldivers, developed by Arrowhead. Helldivers draws significant inspiration from Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, portraying soldiers fighting for a satirical fascist regime called Super Earth against various alien threats, all while promoting concepts of Liberty and Managed Democracy.

With both projects in development, Sony faces the unique challenge of having two movies, Starship Troopers and Helldivers, that could potentially compete for similar audiences. 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 significantly differs in tone and theme from the 1997 movie.

Currently, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers film has a set release date, suggesting fans might have to wait a while before seeing either project come to fruition. Neill Blomkamp’s most recent directorial effort was Sony's Gran Turismo, based on the popular PlayStation racing simulation series.