Neil Blomkamp to Direct ‘Starship Troopers’ for Sony

Last month, I wrote about a “Starship Troopers” remake being in the works over at Sony. No director was attached, but things have quickly changed.

Neill Blomkamp is set to write and direct “Starship Troopers.” THR specified that Blomkamp’s take is not a remake of the Paul Verhoeven movie, and sources say the goal is to go back to the source material, Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 sci-fi novel.

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. However, it’s a good sign that Blomkamp doesn’t intend to remake Verhoeven’s film.

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.

These last 10 years, Blomkamp has had many of his passion projects fall apart, including ‘Alien 4, “District 10,” “RoboCop” and “Halo.” If you ask me, a real shame since Blomkamp is a talented filmmaker who could have done wonders on some of these IPs.

It’s been a tough road for Blomkamp ever since breaking out with 2009’s “District 9”; His follow-up was 2013’s “Elysium” (underrated!) which proved to be very divisive. His third film 2015’s “Chappie” (underrated!) was outright panned. Few saw his 2021 sci-fi indie “Demonic” (terrible!)

Blomkamp is coming off 2023’s “Gran Turismo” which turned out to be a decent hit for Sony, gathering up positive reviews, and raking in $122M at the box-office. This was the lifeline Blomkamp needed, especially after a string of commercial failures. More importantly, audiences loved “Gran Turismo” with its A CinemaScore, 90% PostTrak, 98% RT user rating and 7.1 IMDb score.

Sony has now rewarded Blomkamp with “Starship Troopers.” I can actually see him pulling this one off, he’s the right type of filmmaker for the source material, but he needs his take to distance itself, as far away as possible, from Verhoeven’s 1995 classic.

Karyn Kusama to Direct ‘Mouthwashing’ Movie for Sony, ‘The Invitation’ Writers to Pen Script

Sony has acquired the feature film rights to "Mouthwashing," the acclaimed psychological horror game. The studio has hired Kusama to direct, and she will bring her most reliable writers, Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, with her.

Sir Patrick Stewart, 86, Has Died

A real shocker. There are some people you think will live forever, and Sir Patrick Stewart was one of them. The legendary actor has passed away at the age of 86. We’ve lost one of the greats.

Ken Russell's ‘The Devils' Extends Theatrical Run Indefinitely (!) After $3.3M Box Office Surprise

Nobody expected a 55-year-old NC-17 movie to be one of the surprise box office stories of the fall. Yet here we are, and this absolutely puts a smile on my face.

‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ First Reactions Are Very Positive

Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.

‘Compassionate Release': Christopher McQuarrie's First Non-Tom Cruise Film in 25 Years Stars Denzel Washington, Taps ‘In Bruges' DP Eigil Bryld

Bryld shot "In Bruges," "The Holdovers" and "House of Cards." That seems like the right fit for what is a smaller, character-driven crime story, and a change of pace for McQuarrie after years of stunt-heavy theatrics.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

CONFIRMED: Sadie Soverall Exits Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World' Mid-Shoot, Lily McInerny Steps In Lead Role

Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny.

Ron Howard’s ‘Alone at Dawn’ Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway Sets Christmas 2027 Release

This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Next Film Retitled to ‘Slayground,’ Current Runtime is 2.5 Hours, Plot Details

Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, formerly “October,” still has no release date. You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now.

Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser to Star in Woody Allen's Next Film

A few months ago, Deadline reported that Woody Allen's next film, set in Madrid and carrying a $14M budget, will be "largely English-language" and feature a "high-profile cast."

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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