While Paul Verhoeven is struggling to find financing for “Young Sinner,” one of his classics is being developed for a remake. Given Hollywood’s current IP obsession, this tracks.
Screen Geek is reporting that a “Starship Troopers” remake is in the works over at Sony. Verhoeven’s 1995 sci-fi is perfect as it is, and the idea of reimagining it strikes me as shallow and uninspired. There’s no reason for this.
With “Starship Troopers” having grown into a popular IP, especially on the video game front, it’s no surprise that Sony wants to cash in on that. The 1997 film tackles a futuristic military that works to protect the United Citizen Federation. A patriot, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), joins the Mobile Infantry to fight a war against giant alien bugs, undergoing brutal training and intense battles. As the war escalates, he rises through the ranks, embracing the ideology of duty, citizenship, and sacrifice.
You just don’t remake a Paul Verhoeven film. That should be the general rule for Hollywood. It’s practically impossible to replicate the Dutch filmmaker’s masterful blending of social satire, sex and graphic violence. There have already been a few examples, but Sony seems to have shrugged them off.
“RoboCop” and “Total Recall,” two Verhoeven sci-fi classics, were already remade in the aughts. It didn’t end well for the creatives involved. These “updates” failed, miserably. “Total Recall” (2012) has a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, and “RoboCop” (2014) has a 49% — both bombed at the box-office.
In a recent interview, Verhoeven seemed to agree with the consensus. He admited having seen both remakes, which ended up leaving him dissatisfied, and frustrated. Do you blame him? They lacked the subtleties and nuances of the originals, in addition to the satirical self-awareness.
What’s next? Reimaginings of “Showgirls,” and “Basic Instinct.” Verhoeven is Verhoeven — there’s no other filmmaker like him. It’s impossible to replicate his unique voice. At 86, Verhoeven isn’t done with filmmaking either — hopefully he gets “Young Sinner” going, which would be his first American production since 2000’s “Hollow Man.” He also has the French film “Sans Compter” in development.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.