CASPER A FRIENDLY GO FOR 'STARSHIP'

Internet UFO Group Media Archive

From:AOLNewsProfiles@aol.net
Title: CASPER A FRIENDLY GO FOR 'STARSHIP'
Source:Variety
Date:April 04, 1996


By Chris Petrikin

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Wyoming will play host to alien

invaders this spring during filming of ``Starship Troopers'' in

the Casper area.

Lensing primarily in Hell's Half Acre park in Natrona

County, the film is helmer Paul Verhoeven's follow-up to

``Showgirls,'' and is based on Robert Heinlein's sci-fi novel

about humans battling giant bugs that have invaded Earth.

The Hell's Half Acre site will serve as locations for two

different planets for the shoot.

According to Bill Lindstrom, manager of the Wyoming film

office, this project -- 40% of the alien pic (budgeted at a

projected $95 million) will be the largest project ever to come

to the state and will mean a substantial boost to the Casper

economy and its national visibility.

``'Starship Troopers' is going to be one of the largest

feature films to shoot anywhere in the world in 1996,'' said

Lindstrom. ``It's the type of project that doesn't come around

very often on location.''

``Starship Troopers'' is one of many projects cropping up

from the fertile alien invaders genre. Upcoming projects include

20th Century Fox's ``Independence Day,'' helmed by Roland

Emmerich (``Stargate'').

``Troopers'' utilizes more than 400 special effects

sequences with live-action segments lensed on location in Los

Angeles, New York and Wendover, Utah -- on an abandoned airstrip

once used to train the crews of the ``Enola Gay'' bomber during

World War II.

Helmer Tim Burton will invade Las Vegas for his sci-fi

installment, ``Mars Attacks,'' for Warner Bros. Said to be a

black comedy about earthling's hysteria after Martians invade

the planet, the film includes an ensemble cast of Jack

Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close and Sarah Jessica Parker.