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The original Starship Troopers movie cast are worried Neill Blomkamp's upcoming reboot will cut the satire that made it great, with Michael Ironside expecting it to be "very right-wing"

Don’t expect any legacy cameos in Neill Blomkamp’s Starship Troopers reboot - the original cast doesn't

News by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Wed Apr 16 2025

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Earlier this year it was reported that District 9 director Neill Blomkamp would be rebooting the Starship Troopers franchise. His upcoming film, which currently has no release date, would be closer to Robert A. Heinlein’s original 1959 pro-war novel.

Whenever a film franchise is rebooted, it’s inevitable that cast members from the original franchise show up. Sometimes these are legacy roles, and other times it’s a fun cameo. Either way, the cast of the 1997 Starship Troopers film don't have high hopes they’ll be called for any roles in the reboot.

“Neil’s writing it right now. It depends on what he’s going to do,” Michael Ironside said during The Only Good Bug Is a Dead Bug: A Starship Troopers Reunion panel at C2E2 2025. “He did a great job with District 9. I have no idea. You can always go, ‘It’s going to be this, or it’s going to be that.’ But nobody really has a clue until he writes it and whatever he’s going to choose.”

“I wish him the best of luck and I hope they keep to the satire that’s not in the book,” Casper Van Dien said. “I think he does a little of that in District 9 anyhow. People are saying it’s going to be closer to the books. Some people are saying it’s going to be whatever, but it’s all speculation right now. He’s a unique and incredible director, and I would love to see what his perspective was first.”

“I have no idea what the script’s going to look like,” Dina Meyer said.

“My guess is that, because they said they’re going to follow the book as closely as possible,” Ironside replied.

“Then I’m out, because Dizzy was a man in the book,” Meyer replied.

“My guess is that they’re going to put as much distance as they can between this cast and this film as possible. They’re going to do a very hard-nosed, very right-wing, very yahoo military kill-the-less-things and all that stuff. I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s going to get made,” Ironside said.

Popverse members can watch The Only Good Bug Is a Dead Bug: A Starship Troopers Reunion from C2E2 2025's Main Stage for yourself, guaranteed by CGC x JSA, as part of Popverse's all-encompassing coverage of C2E2 2025.

Did you miss a C2E2 Main Stage panel? Don't worry, we're filming it all thanks to our partners at CGC x JSA - our official authenticator & grading partner. Here is the C2E2 2025 panel list and release schedule.

About C2E2 2025

Comics, cosplay, gaming, authors, and anime abound in the only pop culture convention in the heart of Downtown Chicago! We've gathered your favorite celebrities, unique exhibitors, incredible comic creators, and larger-than-life literary authors into one place to celebrate the fandoms you love. From the halls of Artist Alley to the depths of the Show Floor, our goal is to provide a space of creativity and fun, but most importantly, one that cultivates a sense of belonging, safety, and inclusiveness.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.