STARSHIP TROOPERS: Neill Blomkamp Slated to Write, Produce and Direct Reimagining of Popular Bug Book

Neill Blomkamp to Create New Vision of Starship Troopers

Acclaimed director, Neill Blomkamp, will be making a new version of Robert A. Heinlein‘s classic science fiction book about wild bugs, Starship Troopers.

Johnny Rico, a hero of the vicious big bug tale, Starship Troopers, was played by Casper Van Dien in 1997’s action picture of the same name. Who will play Rico almost 30 years after that science fiction movie crashed and burned at the box-office due to its “R” rating? There’s no mistaking that a “PG-13” rating could significantly help Neill Blomkamp’s just announced reworking of the original book on which the 1997 movie was based. However, the recent article announcing the new project didn’t specify what route Blomkamp would take with the new version of the source material in terms of the gore factor.

I remember working at the Loews Village Seven back in 1997 when the original film was released and young movie-goers under 17 took great measures to try to sneak into the picture since they couldn’t buy a ticket due to its “R” rating. It was abundantly clear that young people were interested in Starship Troopers, but the rating prevented them from getting to see it in 1997. That doesn’t mean that some older moviegoers didn’t enjoy it, but the film’s “C+” CinemaScore suggested that director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop)’s film’s audience was mostly on the fence about recommending it to others.

Cut to 2025 with this news of Neill Blomkamp’s attachment to the new project and one can’t help but be excited. After all, Blomkamp’s District 9 was one of the most powerful science fiction movies ever made and received a lot of acclaim from critics during its initial release back in 2009. It received a “B” CinemaScore which meant it may have gone over some viewers’ heads in terms of its complexity, but smart is just what Starship Troopers could use in an upcoming reworking of the material.

Besides Van Dien, the 1997 movie featured the likes of former beauty queens, Dina Meyer and Denise Richards. As of now, it’s unclear what the approach is that Blomkamp will take to the new project. Will he cast big movie stars or do like Verhoeven did and cast relative newcomers in the new film? Blomkamp didn’t go “all out” with the casting of a couple of his other later projects, Chappie and Gran Turismo, as they were not star-studded events, but considering the potential big budget of another Starship Troopers movie, he may want to consider casting at least one or two very established movie stars to go along with the visual effects which will have to be solid to capture the big bugs featured in the story line realistically enough to make the film work.

Leave your thoughts on Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming revisioning of Starship Troopers below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, and Threads. This news was brought to our attention by The Hollywood Reporter on MSN.