Old Man's War bought by Paramount

John Scalzi's tremendous, Heinleinesque space opera Old Man's War has been greenlit by Paramount, and will be directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Self. From my review:

Old Man's War is a cross between Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Haldeman's Forever War -- a raunchy, action-packed, thought-provoking book about galactic-scale warfare where lightspeed lag and distant, unimaginable alien technology are central to the story.
In Old Man's War, senior citizens can enlist in the space army, and when they do, they are taken away and rejuvenated, using secret technology, given a turn in battle, and the survivors are retired to a distant world, never to see the Earth again. For a certain kind of person, this is infinitely preferable to certain senescence and death, and that's the sort of person that fills the pages of Old Man's War.

Paramount Buys 'Old Man's War' For Wolfgang Petersen And Scott Stuber (via Scalzi)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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lecti

C’mon, how could people hat Verhoeven movies! Starship Troopers, Robocop, Showgirls… oh. showgirls.
nanuq

Considering what Hollywood ended up doing with Starship Troopers, I’m not optimistic.
- Brainspore
  
  It’s not like the book was really any more thoughtful than the movie adaptation. (MILITARY GOOD! PACIFISM STUPID!) At least the movie had a layer of irony… and boobies.
Chang

YIPPIE~!!!
catgrin

Such a fun series! It read like it do well if treated decently, so I guess I’ll just sit back and hope for the best.
shichae

This movie is going to be epic!!! It’s going to be like watching a Victoria’s Secret Runway Show fused with Starship Troopers (Both the movie and the book) in tantalizing green skin! I can’t wait to see this when it comes out!
- mikedt
  
  The movie will spend 30 minutes on the orgies that take maybe a couple of pages in the book.
  - Jamie Heron
    
    You say that like it’s a bad thing. :)
Anonymous

Y’know how when Shakespeare films come out, the really good ones are credited as “[Title] by William Shakespeare” and the really crappy ones are credited as “[Director] presents [Title], based on the work of William Shakespeare”? That’s what I’m worried about. This movie deserves a “by John Scalzi” and not a “based on the book by John Scalzi.”

Please don’t ruin it, Hollywood. Please.
Ocker3

besides, the Starship Troopers movie was set Before the books started, perhaps as an excuse to deal with different plotlines, which could be simplified as the characters were younger. it’s a pity you can’t make a movie and require that people read the book that sets the whole thing up, not enough people would see it.
DoctressJulia

Oh, no… I think this will end up being shit. :(
Anonymous

read it and enjoyed it.at 70 looking on it would be a cool way to go, if you survive boot camp again lol
pmhparis

Never did well in reading comprehension did you Brainspore…

ST was exposing Heinlein’s theory that civic rights are better rewarded after having contributed to society rather than as an innate right. Much like communism, the theory has it’s good points but fails in real-life due to humanity’s imperfect nature.

When you judge a movie good because it contains “boobies” you’re not likely to appreciate anything deeper than a bad comic book.

I was extremely disappointed in the movie. Unfortunately instead of exploring the advantages & disadvantages of Heinlein’s meritocracy it turned into a very bad bughunt.
- lorq
  
  Brainspore: “At least the movie had a layer of irony… and boobies.”
  
  pmhparis: “Never did well in reading comprehension did you Brainspore [...] When you judge a movie good because it contains ‘boobies’ you’re not likely to appreciate anything deeper than a bad comic book.”
  
  Never did well in irony comprehension did you pmhparis…
Sapa

I signed up on the Tor, haven’t found the link to read this yet but I FOUND MOOMINS!!!!!!
- Sapa
  
  Please leave message – Sapa is away having Moominfest
Brainspore

ST was exposing Heinlein’s theory that civic rights are better rewarded after having contributed to society rather than as an innate right.

So long as said contribution to society involves killing stuff. Note that in his idealized future “citizenship” isn’t gained through teaching underprivileged children or curing third-world diseases.

It’s not that I think the book is downright awful and the movie is a masterpiece, it’s just that I don’t think the inverse is true either.
- Anonymous
  
  “So long as said contribution to society involves killing stuff. Note that in his idealized future ‘citizenship’ isn’t gained through teaching underprivileged children or curing third-world diseases.”
  
  Actually, it can be. Military service is not required: Federal service is. If it turns out that what the Federal service can best use you for is killing things and breaking people, then that’s what you do.
  
  Since the book’s about military service, that’s what we see, but the recruiter makes it quite clear that the Federal service *is required by unbreakable law* to find you SOMETHING you can do to qualify. IIRC the example given is that if you are blind, deaf, and wheelchair-bound, he’ll find you a job counting the hairs on caterpillars by touch.
ahmacrom

Starship Troopers was directed by Paul Verhoeven, what did we expect? I love it for what it is. Now, Wolfgang is doing this and he did Never Ending Story and Das Boot so I don’t know. I guess he gave up on Ender’s game.
Anonymous

Yay! I enjoyed this book but thought it was the kind of story that could be even better as a film. I approve of this development.
daddy_fizz

Sweet…just finished reading the series not too long ago so it will be interesting to see how well it translates…
tsm_sf

If you’re expecting a rehash of Starship Troopers, keep in mind this is the director behind Das Boot and Enemy Mine (and Neverending Story). We just might get a complex view of military culture.

Having said that, and having grown up in a military town, a complex view of military culture isn’t mutually exclusive with “woo boobies!” as above. In fact it would have to, ahem, embrace it.
Nash Rambler

I would give odds of 7-2 that it will languish in development hell for no less than 3 years.

That pessimistic comment aside, loved the book and sequels, and hope the movie does Scalzi’s vision justice.
Spencer Cross

Awesome opposum. IMHO it’s perfect film fodder. Hearty congrats to Scalzi!