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Trooper

(1990-91)


plot summary
 

The future. A fascist universe in a never ending war. Thanks to the intensive development of biochemical science, atomic weapons aren't useful anymore. From now on, the man is alone, facing the battle field of his future. Alone, but protected by a strong organic cuirass like a second skin, like a friend. Alone, but armed with parasite weapon nourished by own fluids.
Alone, but conditioned, over trained, ruthless, powerful. After the suicidal assault of his platoon, a TROOPER is accidentally sent in a cruel and barbarous world : the American Hungry Years. Arriving on the outskirts of a big city plunged into grief, hunger and strikes, the soldier is taken in by a gang of kids. Because of their imagination, the man from the future is immediately ranked as Peter Pan in the children's mind. He is the magic being from "somewhere else". He soon meets ELLA, a young Mexican girl. Their relationship will get the kids (and especially their leader, a LITTLE GIRL) jealous. But the soldier is above all a fighter, a war machine made and programmed to kill.
During a fight against militiamen he is captured and taken to the exact transposition of his world, the DRAGO's citadel. Drago is the master of the games, an extremely rich gang leader paranoiac and machiavellian, that enjoys organizing and watching gladiatorial fight. The soldier will end up crucified. His body will be thrown out to the sea.
The kids, his friends will save their hero a second time and give him back his life thanks to the organic cuirass again before going to Drago's citadel.
To liberate the girl, he'll have to fight in a no mercy combat against another trooper from his time, lost like him in this century. And this trooper is a woman.

THE TROOPER PROFILE


director/cast
 
Christophe Gans

Director

Dolph Lundgren

the Trooper


genre

Action / Sci-Fi

production co(s)

Davis Films

budget

$10-12M

producers

Samuel Hadida

writers

Christophe Gans, Thierry Cazals and Nicolas Boukrief

music

Basil Poledouris

special effects

Visual concept by Michael Kaluta

Future visual concept by Hans R. Giger

Special effects by Jerome Robert and Excalibur



news & updates
 

A science-fiction saga written by Christophe Gans (who showed the best of Mark Dacascos in both Crying Freeman, and Brotherhood of the Wolf), Thierry Cazals and Nicolas Boukrief. The intended cast was either Dolph Lundgren, Christophe Lambert or Jean-Claude Van Damme to play the lead, Mathilda May (Ella), Patrick Bauchau (the Recruiter), Billy Drago (Drago), Donald Pleasance (Doctor), Cynthia Khan (the Enemy), Marc de Jong (the Trainer).

Trooper goes back to 1988 and was partly influenced by Robert Heinlein's novel "Starship Troopers". It's the first project born between Gans and producer Samuel Hadida (True Romance, Killing Zoe, Crying Freeman, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Silent Hill...).

The film was to be cinematographed by Bernard Lutic and edited by Françoise Bonnot (Year Of The Dragon). The project was developed between 1988 and 1991 but too expensive to produce. In June 1990, legal services were hire by Hadida to negociate an agreement for the services of Dolph Lundgren. In the Spring of 1991, a meeting was set between Lundgren (who was doing promo in Paris for Cover Up, released by Hadida's distribution company Metropolitan Filmexport), Gans and Hadida to discuss the storyboards. Yet it seems that Christophe Lambert was the last choice to play the Trooper. More and more expensive, the project will never get made and Gans had to wait Necronomicon and Crying Freeman to direct his first films.

           
 

projects links
Action In The Red Sea / Alien Agent / The Amber Room / Beowulf / Captured / Code Blue / Cover Up 2 / Dark Angel 2 / Duke Nukem / Frogs For Snakes / Inside Man Out / Interstate 10 / It Waits / Ivory City / Le Tigre / Legion / Masters Of The Universe 2 / Meltdown / Nightclubbing / The Peacekeeper 2 / Pit Bulls / The Punisher 2 / R.P.M. / Red Dawn / Red Scorpion 2 / Revenge / Rewind / Rocky VI / Running Man / Starlight Murders / Still The Drums / Straight Blast / The Threat / Trooper / Unknown Project / Vampires / Venom / Warrant / The Watchmen / Swedish Projects /

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