Is Paul Verhoeven the new John Carpenter?

Like Carpenter ("Halloween," "The Thing" (1982), "Assault on Precinct 13," "The Fog"), a number of Verhoeven's cult genre films have been going through the remake process lately.

A redo of Verhoeven's 1990 film "Total Recall" (based on a short story by Philip K. Dick) is being directed by "Underworld" helmer Len Wiseman, and the long-in-the-works "RoboCop" remake is finally being prepped at MGM.

Now, the Dutch director's controversial 1997 SF action/comedy "Starship Troopers" is getting the treatment, courtesy of "Fast Five" producer Neal Moritz.

Based on Robert A. Heinlein's politically-charged book of the same name, "Starship" pitted teen idols like Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards against a seemingly endless alien race of giant bugs. The blood and dark laughs flowed in equal measure. In one of his most perverse moves, Verhoeven chose Neil Patrick Harris (then best know as dorky teen doctor Doogie Howser) to play a cold-hearted clairvoyant decked out in fascistic military garb.

It was followed by two largely forgettable straight-to-DVD sequels and a handful of animated spin-offs.

What Moritz and co. have planned for the property is anyone's guess, but it's doubtful they'll go in the same direction as the 1997 film. According to the Vulture Blog, "Thor" and "X-Men: First Class" scribes Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz have been hired to write the script, which could be a promising sign.