A reboot of Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 cult sci-fi Starship Troopers is in development at Columbia Pictures, with THR reporting that the studio has tapped Mark Swift and Damian Shannon (Baywatch) to pen the script for a new adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s novel.
According to the site, the new film – which is being produced by Neal H. Moritz (Fast & Furious) and Toby Jaffe (Total Recall) – will not be a remake of the original film, but rather a new take on the original source material. And of course, it’s being eyed as a potential franchise launcher.
Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers starred Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey and Neil Patrick Harris as members of the Federation, who are fighting an interstellar war against the alien species Arachnids. A modest box office success, it went on to achieve a cult following, and spawned the direct-to-video sequels Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder and Starship Troopers 4: Invasion.