MTV Movies Blog › district 9

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is one of those movies that, unless you've been oblivious to major nerd pop culture over the past 40 years, you walk into the theaters with a good idea of what to expect. Spoiler alert: the apes rise, and they do so in glorious fashion. Though as we're sitting in the cinema cheering on what has got to be some of the most epic troop-rallying that we've seen in recent years, there's a certain level of unease that is attached to it. After all, by cheering on the apes, we're cheering on the demise of mankind.

It seems to be an interesting moral question that has been popping up in films a lot more frequently -- one that Tom Felton wants to you to think about -- and it isn't the first time a movie has put us in this predicament. After the jump, we look at some other movies that make you choose between your species and the other guys.

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Tags avatar, district 9, king kong, rise of the planet of the apes

Lots of good news for Neil Blomkamp on the "Elysium" front. First and foremost, Sony Pictures has snapped up the rights to the "District 9" director's upcoming sci-fi flick, which is set to star Matt Damon, Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster.

Deadline has been following the development, and was able to confirm that Sony will be distributing the film on its own, without the rumored involvement of Universal Pictures. Not a huge surprise, since the company was also responsible for distributing "District 9," Blomkamp's only other feature. Read more...

Tags Chappie, district 9, Elysium, jodie foster, matt damon, Neil Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley, Syd Mead

More good news for Neill Blomkamp's second feature, "Elysium." The film already has Matt Damon and "District 9" star Sharlto Copley attached to star, and now, according to Deadline, Jodie Foster has committed to the sci-fi flick as well.

Details are scarce on the "Elysium" plot, but we do know that the film takes place on a distant planet in the distant future (we're sensing that distance is a theme here). That's a bit of a step away from Blomkamp's hit "District 9," which took place on our planet in the near future, and showed a pretty accurate portrayal (in my opinion) of what could happen if aliens came to Earth. Read more...

Tags district 9, Elysium, jodie foster, matt damon, neill blomkamp, Sharlto Copley

Sharlto Copley wasn't an actor when his pal Neill Blomkamp asked him to do a read-through of the script for the sci-fi thriller "District 9." Blomkamp liked Copley's performance so much that he asked him to play the lead in the film, tt went on to be a hit, and Copley immediately shot to stardom.

Copley followed up that film with something notably lighter, a turn as loopy ex-military man "Howling Mad" Murdock in Joe Carnahan's "A-Team" movie. If it seems like he was born to play the role, that makes sense: As Copley told MTV News in an interview to promote the movie's December 14 DVD release, he grew up watching "The A-Team" and even felt a special connection to Murdock. We're not sure what that says about Copley, but he certainly was a lovely fellow to chat with. The South African dished on everything from what he'd like to see happen in an "A-Team" sequel to hilarious DVD extras to the time he tried to mock-seduce co-star Jessica Biel with a mid-take rendition of Justin Timberlake's (a.k.a Biel's boyfriend) "SexyBack." We love it when a mid-shoot seduction comes together.

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Tags district 9, Sharlto Copley, the a-team

One of the aspects of Neill Blomkamp's big screen debut "District 9" that made it such a surprising success was the fact that it starred no marquee actors. It was the first major film role for its leading man, Sharlto Copley, with whom Blomkamp had been close friends for years. Copley's since gone on to do bigger and badder things like "The A-Team," but we all breathed a happy little sigh when we found out earlier this week that he and Blomkamp would be reteaming for another sci-fi film, "Elysium."

Turns out we weren't the only ones who got excited. Deadline has the news that Matt Damon is in talks to join forces with Copley and Blomkamp for the film. The closest Damon has come to futuristic sci-fi flick in his career was when he voiced Cale Tucker in the animated film "Titan A.E." back in 2000, so it's pretty exciting news that he'll be delving into the genre with as promising a director as Blomkamp. Read more...

Tags district 9, Elysium, matt damon, neill blomkamp, Sharlto Copley

It's time for another round of Good News, Bad News, folks, and we'll start off with the bad news.

Unfortunately, it looks like Neill Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley aren't reteaming for a "District 9" sequel as their next project. But don't get yourselves in a huff just yet, because even if "District 10" isn't in the immediate pipeline, Blomkamp and Copley are getting back together very soon nonetheless.

Deadline reports that the "District 9" director and star are reuniting for yet another science fiction movie in the form of "Elysium," a mysterious project that Blomkamp's name has been attached to for some months now. Copley's involvement is a new development, however, though it's still unknown exactly how he'll factor into the film. Read more...

Tags district 9, Elysium, neill blomkamp, Sharlto Copley

Hollywood hasn't had much luck turning the "Halo" video game series into a big-screen blockbuster franchise -- attempts at making the film in 2005 and 2006 resulted in nada. But thanks to the phenomenal success of the latest installment of the game, "Halo: Reach" -- it made $200 million in its first day of sales alone, which is more than many blockbuster movies make in their entire run -- a big-screen adaptation is once again picking up steam. New York Magazine's Vulture blog is reporting that DreamWorks is desperately seeking to obtain rights to the franchise with an eye to final give it is big-screen due.

It's something that both Fox and Universal, in a team effort, tried and failed to do in the past. The movie was supposed to be made with Peter Jackson as producer and Neil Blomkamp as director. But when studio brass balked at the idea of an untested director handling such an important big-budget property, Jackson and Blomkamp took their remaining financing and conceptual art and focused on making Blomkamp's dream project "District 9" instead (yes, that's why the prawns look so similar to some of "Halo"'s aliens). It's conceivable that the fact that "District 9" was made on such a small budget and yet was such a successful sci-fi film has contributed to DreamWorks' revived interest in "Halo." Read more...

Tags district 9, Halo, Halo: Reach, Neil Blomkamp, peter jackson

Yesterday, Variety reported that "District 9" star Sharlto Copley was being replaced in upcoming sci-fi flick "I Am Number Four" by "Hitman" star Timothy Olyphant due to "scheduling conflicts." A report emerged later from our friends over at Film Drunk, who reported that the real reason for Copley departure stems from creative differences over his alien character's appearance. They wrote that the actor "wanted wear a prosthetic nose and fake ears like Spock and look like an alien in the movie, while director DJ Caruso was adamant that the aliens were supposed to look just like regular humans, hence why they’re able to fit in."

MTV News contributing editor Josh Wigler spoke to Copley yesterday following the MTV Movie Awards nominations announcement (he's up for Best Scared-As-S--t Performance), and the actor was happy to set the record straight. "It was pretty much what was announced today — the schedule," he explained. "I had actually never announced [my involvement] and neither had DreamWorks, officially. Someone leaked that." Read more...

Tags district 9, i am number four, Sharlto Copley

-- A "Clash of the Titans" sequel is officially in the works, but Louis Leterrier won't direct the project. Additionally, a "Journey to the Center of the Earth" sequel is being planned, but Brendan Fraser might not return due to New Line and Walden Media's plan to push forth without director Eric Brevig. [Deadline]

-- DreamWorks Animation knows a hit when they see one. As such, "How To Train Your Dragon" will get a sequel in 2013, as well as a television series, a live arena show and an online virtual world. [The Hollywood Reporter]

-- "Resident Evil" fans have long anticipated the big screen arrival of Chris Redfield. Wentworth Miller talks about playing the hero in the franchise's fourth installment, saying that viewers will relate to the dynamic between Chris and his sister Claire. [Collider] Read more...

Tags Alien 5, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, brad pitt, brendan fraser, clash of the titans, district 9, Eric Brevig, how to train your dragon, How To Train Your Dragon 2, journey to the center of the earth, kevin james, Louis Leterrier, Paul Reubens, Resident Evil: Afterlife, ridley scott, robert duvall, Sharlto Copley, the dailies, The Hatfields and the McCoys, The Smurfs, the zookeeper, Wentworth Miller

One of the unlikely -- but nonetheless welcome -- Best Picture nominees which benefited from the expanded category size was director Neill Blomkamp's inventive sci-fi feature debut, "District 9." It's an odd film, a melting pot of genres set within a science fiction framework. The "aliens arrive on Earth" idea isn't exactly new, but Blomkamp's take on it is fresh nonetheless. And while "District 9" was one of the bigger longshots to win last night, it definitely deserved its Best Picture nom.

Blomkamp probably agrees, though he admitted to MTV's Josh Horowitz on the Oscars red carpet last night that it all came as quite a surprise.

"It was pretty insane," he said. "I never expected it to be there. There is definitely a level of insanity to [being at the Oscars as a Best Picture nominee] that I wasn't prepared for." Blomkamp went on to describe how he was asleep when the nominations were announced, and had to be woken up for the good news. Read more...

Tags district 9, neill blomkamp, Video