Sony Officially 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, backed by Sony's Columbia Pictures, will be a fresh adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 military sci-fi novel, and is not connected to Paul Verhoeven's iconic 1997 film, which took a satirical approach to the source material.

The announcement of Blomkamp's involvement in the new Starship Troopers movie comes at an interesting time, as Sony recently unveiled plans for 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 called Super Earth, all while promoting the concepts of Liberty and Managed Democracy.

With both projects in development, Sony faces the unique challenge of having two films that, while different in approach, share thematic elements. Blomkamp's version aims to return to the original tone and themes of Heinlein's novel, which contrasts sharply with the satirical nature of Verhoeven's adaptation.

Currently, neither the new Starship Troopers nor the Helldivers movie has a confirmed release date, suggesting fans may have to wait a while before seeing these projects come to fruition. Blomkamp's most recent work was with Sony on the film Gran Turismo, an adaptation of the renowned PlayStation driving simulation series.