Posted in: Movies, Preview, Sony, TV | Tagged: Casper Van Dien, daughter, exclusive, Grace Van Dien, interview, robert rodriguez, sony pictures, starship troopers

Starship Troopers: Casper Van Dien on Legacy TV Series That Never Was

Casper Van Dien (Daughter) spoke with Bleeding Cool about what happened with Sony & Robert Rodriguez's Starship Troopers legacy TV series.

Some actors go through their careers never landing a popular signature franchise, but Casper Van Dien led one in 1997's Starship Troopers as Juan "Johnny" Rico. Based on the 1959 Robert A Heinlein novel of the same name, the film follows a band of teenage soldiers in a dystopian society where citizenship is only guaranteed under military service as they battle an extraterrestrial arachnid threat playing up the hawkish attitudes of World War II propaganda films. The original film, which also starred Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, Michael Ironside, and Neil Patrick Harris, was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ed Neumeier. Its success as a cult favorite spawned two sequels, with Van Dien reprising his role for the third film Starship Troopers 3: Marauder in 2008 and a franchise that includes animated shows. While promoting his indie horror film Daughter, the actor spoke to Bleeding Cool about the Sony legacy TV series that was under development until internal moves at Sony sidelined the project, at least for now.

What Happened to Sony's Starship Troopers Legacy TV Series?

"Four-five years ago, Sony asked me after I had done 'Alita: Battle Angel' if Robert Rodriguez would be interested in doing a 'Starship Troopers' series," Van Dien said. "I called him up, and he goes, 'I would love to.' I knew he wanted to because all he wanted to talk about when I worked on 'Alita: Battle Angel' was 'Starship Troopers.' He would even call me 'Old Man Rico,' saying, 'You look like Old Man Rico.' Then he's like, 'Yeah, we're doing it. We're shooting Old Man Rico.' We were going to shoot Old Man Rico,' but then there was a changing of the guards at Sony, so they put it on hold."

Fate also intervened on Rodriguez's behalf, who found himself a new opportunity of a lifetime at Disney working on Star Wars. "Robert Rodriguez was so excited about it and would have been great for it, but he's a little bit busy now with 'The Book of Boba Fett,'" Van Dien explained. "I don't think we could get him right now, which was their mistake. Sony blew that one. I blame it on them, but if they want to come back and do one, I would love to do it with [Paul] Verhoeven. I think he's the man, so I would love to revisit that wound properly with him because he is so great here, and I love him. I always have that on my mind."

The 1997 film also holds a special place in Van Dien's heart as it represented a watershed moment in his life. "My daughter, Grace Van Dien from 'Stranger Things' was born when I was making 'Starship Troopers.' Now I get that my little girl grew up and being all things." Personally, having father and daughter leading the legacy TV series would be more than enough sell for me. Get on that ball, Sony! Dark Star Pictures' Daughter, which also stars Elyse Dinh, Vivien Ngô, and Ian Alexander, is available in theaters, digital, and on-demand service.

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