Casper Van Dien says Helldivers 2 may be 'a good tribute' but now he's Johnny Rico again, and Starship Troopers fans better 'come in here and help us kill some damn bugs—Yeah!'
Helldivers 2 has been one of 2024's big hits, and found a huge audience ready to spread managed democracy across the galaxy. The game's setting has one inspiration above all others: Paul Verhoeven's film Starship Troopers, loosely based on the Robert Heinlein novel. The game is packed with references and tributes, and sparked some renewed interest in the movie, with even Casper Van Dien (main character Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers) calling it "really quite wonderful."