Earlier this month, the internet collectively rolled its eyes over the news that Starship Troopers was getting rebooted. It wasn't just the lack of creativity ruffling feathers, either — the remake is said to be more faithful to Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel, a text that many consider to be sympathetic toward fascism. Paul Verhoeven, director of the 1997 film, has now spoken out against the reboot.
Verhoeven presented his take on Starship Troopers at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, just one week after the United States of America elected Donald Trump as its next president. Verhoeven was openly critical of the new Starship Troopers remake.
"It said in the article [that] the production team of that movie of the remake, that they would go back more and more towards the novel. And of course, we really, really tried to get away from the novel, because we felt that the novel was fascistic and militaristic," he said, before hammering his point home: "You feel that going back to the novel would fit very much in a Trump Presidency."
Verhoeven added that his intentions with Starship Troopers were to directly oppose the fascism on display in the novel. "Our philosophy was really different [from Heinlein's book], we wanted to do a double story, a really wonderful adventure story about these young boys and girls fighting, but we also wanted to show that these people are really, in their heart, without knowing it, are on their way to fascism," he said.
Thanks to Indiewire for the tip.
Verhoeven presented his take on Starship Troopers at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, just one week after the United States of America elected Donald Trump as its next president. Verhoeven was openly critical of the new Starship Troopers remake.
"It said in the article [that] the production team of that movie of the remake, that they would go back more and more towards the novel. And of course, we really, really tried to get away from the novel, because we felt that the novel was fascistic and militaristic," he said, before hammering his point home: "You feel that going back to the novel would fit very much in a Trump Presidency."
Verhoeven added that his intentions with Starship Troopers were to directly oppose the fascism on display in the novel. "Our philosophy was really different [from Heinlein's book], we wanted to do a double story, a really wonderful adventure story about these young boys and girls fighting, but we also wanted to show that these people are really, in their heart, without knowing it, are on their way to fascism," he said.
Thanks to Indiewire for the tip.