You may recall that back in 2016, it was announced that Sony’s Columbia Pictures was in development on a reboot of Paul Verhoeven’s cult 1998 sci-fi actioner Starship Troopers, one that was said to be much more in line with the original 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
In an interview with HN Entertainment (via Dark Horizons), the original film’s screenwriter Ed Neumeier has shared his thoughts on the potential remake, revealing that he’d prefer to see a soft reboot – one that brings back Casper Van Dien’s Johnny Rico – and there’s actually been some talk about that happening on the small screen.
“Well, I think they can. I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are talking about trying to do a television show that is based on that idea. I’ve written all sorts of things with Casper now as Johnny Rico and it’s a gas to write him because he gives you that character. He gives you more than you think, as soon as he shows up, the tone comes with him a little bit. I think it’s because he’s ridiculously handsome, he’s got this boyish can-do attitude, which is what Johnny Rico is, and a lot of the brand comes with him.”
Neumeier also went on to echo Paul Verhoeven’s thoughts on Columbia Pictures’ planned film, stating:
“Well, I have mixed feelings about it [the reboot] because I think that what we did with the first Starship is almost not repeatable in a way… I based the structure of Starship Troopers [on] the structure of WWII propaganda films that the studios made 1941-1944. We don’t really talk about those movies anymore. I can imagine you could do a new one that was a more serious version of the book without the political commentary, but I don’t know if that interests me that much.”
SEE ALSO: RoboCop screenwriter Ed Neumeier talks Neill Blomkamp’s RoboCop Returns
Are you excited about the Starship Troopers remake, or would you prefer to see Caspar Van Dien back for a soft reboot on the small screen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Originally published February 5, 2019. Updated December 6, 2022.
