Sony Unveils Starship Troopers Reboot Amid Helldivers Film Plans

Sony is developing a fresh Starship Troopers film reboot, according to multiple Hollywood sources.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Neill Blomkamp, known for District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, will write and direct a new take on Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 military sci-fi novel Starship Troopers. Deadline and Variety confirmed the news.

This upcoming Starship Troopers film is unrelated to Paul Verhoeven’s iconic 1997 sci-fi satire of the same name. Instead, it’s a new adaptation of Heinlein’s novel, produced by Sony’s Columbia Pictures.

Blomkamp’s involvement in the Starship Troopers reboot seems curious, as Sony recently announced a live-action film based on the hit PlayStation Studios game Helldivers. Arrowhead’s Helldivers draws heavily from Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, featuring expendable soldiers defending a satirical fascist Super Earth against alien bugs and other foes while championing Liberty and Managed Democracy.

Sony now risks pitting its new Starship Troopers and Helldivers films against each other. However, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Blomkamp’s project is not a remake of Verhoeven’s film but a return to Heinlein’s original novel, which differs significantly in tone, with some arguing it endorses the ideals the 1997 film lampooned.

Release dates for both the Starship Troopers reboot and the Helldivers film remain undisclosed, so updates on either project may be some time away. Blomkamp’s most recent work was Sony’s Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation-exclusive racing simulation series.