What Could've Been

Here at Cinema Talk we tend to always shine a light on the people who still have careers and are worth mentioning. It's necessary to look back and truly cherish a fallen star. The man had it all, fame fortune, a three part name. Simply put, he was magic. I'm of course referencing cinema legend and Banger Bros. favorite Casper Van Dien. With his "Butabi" charm and his Florida State education he was supposed to be a film icon. Van Dien bounced around the Soap world until he got his break in the 90s classic Starship Troopers playing the lead role Johnny Rico. Rico was described as a futuristic Tyler Durden only this time with a 20 pound python in his pants. Starship Troopers had everything from a star studded cast featuring Hollywood heavyweights Jake Busey, Denise Richards and NPH, to a unisex shower scene and football in the future. This was supposed to be Van Dien's launching pad and with Starship Troopers landing a visual effects nomination, the stars should have aligned.

Unfortunately this did not happen as Van Dien went to back to the television world being paired with the Meryl Streep of TV Yasmine Bleeth. Dien tried to land back in the film world but unfortunately all his scenes were cut out of Patrick Bateman's The Rules of Attraction, missing out on the opportunity to star alongside Jonathan Moxon. In 2008, a third installment of the beloved Starship Troopers franchise was rebooted and Van Dien reprised his role this time as General Johnny Rico. Sadly Van Dien has become a Hollywood nomad and has developed the nickname STV (Straight to Video). It's important to remember Van Dien as an actor's actor even though all of his films can be purchased at your local Office Depot or car wash.