Latest news with #Heinlein
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Elon Musk, Robert A. Heinlein and the urgent call to colonize space
On April 28, Elon Musk asked his artificial intelligence Grok to define itself. As usual, the Tesla CEO's messaging was cryptic. His posts on X (formerly Twitter), and even the names of his children, often feel like riddles, decipherable only to those in the know. But for newcomers, this moment of self-definition offered a rare clue: The name Grok was an homage to science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988). Heinlein, along with Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) and Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), is regarded as one of the "Big Three" of the Golden Age of American science fiction, which spanned from the late 1930s to the 1960s. In his 1961 bestseller Stranger in a Strange Land, a Martian uses the word "grok" to describe his way of understanding Earth. Musk echoed the spirit of the novel in a February 2025 post on X, writing: "The word 'grok' means to fully and profoundly understand something." Heinlein was trained as both an engineer and a military officer. A key figure in hard science fiction – a genre rooted in scientific and technological rigor – he also had a strong interest in psychology. In a 1947 lecture, he regretted that "too many so-called science fiction stories forget about human beings and their problems." Stranger in a Strange Land follows a human born on Mars and raised in Martian culture as he struggles to adapt to life on Earth. Gérard Klein, a leading French science fiction editor, described the novel as a philosophical tale in the tradition of Montesquieu's Lettres persanes (Persian Letters, 1721). Confronted with political intrigue and human greed, the protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, is baffled by the Earthlings' obsession with power and property.
See - Sada Elbalad
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"Starship Troopers" Reboot in Works
Yara Sameh Neill Blomkamp is attached to write and direct a new film adaptation of 'Starship Troopers,' the 1959 sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein that was last memorably brought to theaters in 1997 by director Paul Verhoeven. The new project comes from Sony's Columbia Pictures. While exact plot details remain closely guarded, the new 'Starship Troopers' is said to draw inspiration from Heinlein's original military story, rather than pulling from the fascist send-up that characterized Verhoeven's satirical adaptation. Along with writing and directing, Blomkamp is producing with his longtime collaborator Terri Tatchell. The project marks a reunion for the director and the studio. Sony last recruited Blomkamp for 'Gran Turismo,' a film adaptation of the racing video game franchise that originated in the company's PlayStation division. Released in August 2023, the film grossed $120 million in worldwide theatrical sales against a $60 million production budget. Blomkamp's defining feature remains his 2009 debut, 'District 9,' an immigration parable set among a colony of aliens in South Africa. That film earned four Oscar nominations, including picture and adapted screenplay for Blomkamp and Tatchell. Blomkamp went on to forge his brand in realistic, socially minded sci-fi with two follow-ups: the Matt Damon action spectacle 'Elysium' and the tale of a Die Antwoord-raised swaggy robot 'Chappie.' The original 'Starship Troopers' adaptation was a significant investment by Sony's TriStar Pictures in 1997, sporting a production budget higher than $100 million, impressive miniatures, cutting-edge effects work and a then-rising cast that included names like Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris. The movie was widely seen as a theatrical disappointment, grossing just $121 million worldwide, but it has gained reputation as a cult film for its hyper-violent parody of a fascist society. Home media sales were strong enough to spawn two lower budget, direct-to-video sequels: 'Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation' in 2004, and 'Starship Troopers 3: Marauder' in 2008. A pair of animated follow-ups came after: 'Starship Troopers: Invasion' in 2012 and 'Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars' in 2017. Reports of plans for a new adaptation of Heinlein's novel emerged over a decade ago, but the attachment of Blomkamp marks a significant development.
