The 1997 sci-fi adventure directed by Paul Verhoeven is the latest movie to be targeted for a reboot, with Columbia Pictures reportedly hiring Freddy vs. Jason and Baywatch screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon to pen a new script based on the over-the-top galactic war movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writing duo are working on a screenplay that will be more directly inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel of the same name, which served as the source material for Verhoeven’s film. The pair offered some thoughts on their approach to the project on Twitter shortly after the announcement was made.
For the record, we think Verhoeven's version is amazing and we aren't trying to redo it. Will talk more about it soon, but we're excited! https://t.co/c0V1cMdfRH
— Shannon & Swift (@shannonandswift) November 3, 2016
“For the record, we think Verhoeven’s version is amazing and we aren’t trying to redo it,” they wrote. “Will talk more about it soon, but we’re excited!”
Originally published in 1959, Heinlein’s novel followed a soldier named Juan “Johnnie” Rico as he rose through the ranks of the futuristic Mobile Infantry during an interstellar war against an alien race simply known as “The Bugs.” The novel explored the issues of suffrage and civic responsibility, punishment, the nature of war crimes, and the power of propaganda. The novel won the prestigious Hugo Award for the year’s best sci-fi novel in 1960.
Verhoeven’s movie based on the novel was a critical and commercial disappointment when it was released, but went on to become a hit on the home entertainment market and spawned three made-for-television or direct-to-video sequels, as well as an animated series and video game.
Swift and Shannon previously scripted 2003’s horror mash-up Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th. Their next film to hit theaters will be the feature adaptation of the Baywatch television series, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
There’s no word on the timeline for the Starship Troopers reboot at this point.
