Movie Filmed In Wyoming to Get “Riffed” Live [Video]

In 1996 Hollywood film director Paul Verhoven, his crew, and a cast of actors came to the areas in and around Casper.  They were filming the movie Starship Troopers, a special effects heavy and sometimes violent sci-fi story about war among the stars with intergalactic bugs.  The geological site known as Hell's Half Acre, located 40 miles west of Casper, doubling for a bug infested planet.  Joining the crew from Hollywood, several Wyoming locals were fitted into futuristic armor, and were used as background actors for the film.

Now, sixteen years after Starship Troopers was released, the film is returning to the big screen in Laramie, with a little zing added (watch the trailer below).

In an age where we are reminded to silence our phones and not talk while at the theater,

Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy have made careers out of talking during movies.  The three men are probably best well known as being writers and actors for the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000, a program where they screened "cheesey" movies and the silhouettes of the program's characters sat at the bottom of the screen, mocking the film, often to hilarious results.

Following Mystery Science Theater 3000's run on Comedy Central, and later the Sci-Fi Channel, three of the show's stars have continued to make their way in life by riffing on movies.  RiffTrax is the latest incarnation of the team.  The RiffTrax website offers not only DVDs of films with humorous commentary added, but also offer downloadable commentaries that fans can play while watching recent Hollywood blockbusters.

Another addition to the RiffTrax stable is live shows, where a movie is simulcast to theaters across the nation.  Starship Troopers is the latest on the list to be added to the RiffTrax Live docket, and will be shown, in a one-night-only event, across the country on August 15th.

Starship Troopers represents the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign by RiffTrax, who were raising money in an attempt to be able to get the rights to riff larger Hollywood fare than their previous live events.  Starship Troopers is the first since the Kickstarter campaign and will be the first RiffTrax Live event to be broadcast to Wyoming.

“It is all thanks to our fans generously backing our Kickstarter that we get to face down what is truly a dream title for us. This will be a real RiffTrax-palooza,” said Michael J. Nelson, RiffTrax creator.

RiffTrax Live Starship Troopers will be screening in Laramie on August 15th 7:00 pm, at the Regal Fox Theater 6.