Different Studio, Producer, Director, Writers for Starship Troopersrs

I'm going to make a fairly long digression to begin with- I'm almost convinced now that Robert Heinlein got the seed that turned into Starship Troopers from what was actually an anti- war text. And that illiterate hack Verhoeven was completely ignorant of this.

If you look at Smedley Butler's War is a Racket, there is what seems to be the basis of the franchise; the idea that war is waged for plunder and profit, not least of the defence contractors effectively robbing the taxpayer, and its' costs are always paid by the fighting men; the financiers and press barons and factory owners will never be asked to go and live in a trench and be shot.

Butler was also the chap who said that he could have given Al Capone tips; Capone only operated in three counties- he had been a gangster for capitalism on three continents.

One of the ideas he had was that any war, the decision to go and fight or not should- in justice, must- be take from those who will only profit, and delegated to those who have to do the job- the soldiers, and those of age and place to become soldiers in case of war.

This, he thought, would curb unnecessary wars, wars of greed and loot, but retain the ability to choose to stand up for a cause. Remember, he was a double Medal of Honor winner; by no means a pacifist, just tired of fighting for Wall Street.

I think Heinlein took that idea and turned it into the system in the book, via a bit of future history.

The problem is that the war in the film was exactly the sort of unnecessary, ridiculous war Butler hoped a plebiscite of the fighting men would turn down, and the war in the book is necessary- existential even.

So first of all it needs to be a director who gets that. Which basically rules out most of Hollywood from the sixties onwards. The special effects hardly existed in John Ford's time.

First positive suggestion that comes to mind is John Milius, actually. Might not be up to it, but would more likely be up for it.
 
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