After the shocking success of "District 9," it's a wonder that director Neill Blomkamp hasn't been re-approached to come back to "Halo," the video game adaptation that he and producer Peter Jackson were attached to long before the South Africa-set science fiction film.
But Blomkamp did something in "District 9" that isn't accomplished nearly enough these days — he created an entirely original property, and that's what he's looking to do again with his next feature film.
According to Variety, the filmmaker is teaming up with Media Rights Capital for a brand new science fiction project. While currently untitled, it appears that the movie will not be a sequel to "District 9." Read more...
Ah "District 9." You're finally here. Now everyone gets to share in the joy, to see how exquisitely well-crafted you are. Director Neill Blomkamp rises to the challenge in his first feature directing gig, spinning out a tight, smartly laid out story which sails along, bolstered by an impressive first time leading man performance from Sharlto Copley. Enough poetic waxing about "District 9" though... on to the subject of this post.
Today's eBay Prop-Watch pick isn't a prop. Maybe it's a replica-- I think it popped up at some point in the movie. This should be a familiar image to anyone who's been following the summer sci-fi adventure though. "District 9" has been subject of a fairly extensive viral marketing campaign, and lots of cool ephemera has come out of it. And that's where the inspiration for today's pick lies. Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: "District 9" seems an oddly misguided sci-fi movie. Where are the Hasbro toy connections? The skeletons of ancient TV series? There's not even a comic book involved. What is wrong with this picture?
Actually, the movie is based on ... what's the term — ah, yes: an original idea. It's a good one, too. The film does have aliens, but they're not the traditional galactic marauders. These amiable extraterrestrials were just cruising along over South Africa some 20-odd years ago when their huge spaceship suddenly conked out in the sky above Johannesburg, where it's still parked. The humans below managed to ferry the passengers down — more than a million of them — but then were stuck with the problem of what to do with these unwanted interlopers. Assimilation was out of the question — the creatures resembled big weird crustaceans with a snoutful of wriggling worms, and their native tongue sounded like a flock of ducks being eaten alive. They did have some interesting technology — especially in the weapons department — but it was bio-mechanical, and could only be operated by beings with alien DNA. Bummer.
Continue reading 'District 9': The Uninvited, By Kurt Loder
I haven’t seen "District 9" yet, but you really only need the trailer to get a heaping spoonful of the heebie jeebies. Better yet, check out Neill Blomkamp’s “Alive in Joburg,” the short film “District 9” is based on. It is, in a word, unsettling. As repulsive as the human population’s treatment of the stranded aliens is, you can almost sympathize; they are inhuman, and that otherness coupled with closeness to our homes makes the skin crawl. That much is evident in the "D9" clip below:
It’s a classic trope in sci-fi cinema, alien infiltration. Not invasion mind you, I mean aliens living among us, incognito or otherwise. Here are five classics that did it best. Before "District 9" came along, that is. Read more...
As some of you already know, Sharlto Copley capably carried director Neill Blomkamp's "District 9" like a seasoned vet. It may surprise you to learn however that the newcomer actor was originally going assume a producer's role and nothing more for the summer sci-fi thinkpiece. Copley was a sniper in Blomkamp's "Alive in Joburg" short, on which "District 9" is based, but he never actively sought a spot in the film's cast, let alone the top spot.
"I was never set to actually star in the film," Copley said to MTV's Josh Horowitz during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con. "Neill only actually told me and made me the offer to be the lead guy in it when he said, 'look, Peter [Jackson]'s totally behind this. And we might have some issues from the studio or investors or whatever -- you know, they're going to want a star -- but because Peter wants it, and is really getting behind you, you're going to get it."
In the video below, the likable "D9" leading man has plenty more to say on how he got the role and what the production scene was like. Check it out, then head over to MTV.com for Christopher Cambpell's full rundown of the interview.
In a sci-fi world where, as Peter Jackson says, "we've all forgotten how to be original," it's refreshing to see a film like "District 9" emerge which the producer aptly describes as "fiercely original." This is smart sci-fi, for viewers who want some food for thought to munch on with their popcorn. As Jackson reveals in the below interview with MTV's Josh Horowitz at San Diego Comic-Con, much of what makes "D9" so brilliant lies in director Neill Blomkamp's South Africa upbringing.
"[Neill] witnessed the end of the Apartheid era and he had a life experience of looking at the society in its... good and bad ways," Jackson said. "He wanted to translate that into a little science fiction spin."
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This week folks. This week, compliments of producer Peter Jackson, everyone finally gets to see how director Neill Blomkamp fares with feature film. Here's a sneak preview: he fares really, really well. This is thanks in no small part to the excellent performance he gets from leading man Sharlto Copley. You can see Copley in the first of these clips, as he examines a suspicious Prawn safehouse in the titular aliens-only district. The second clip gives you an idea of what alien overseers MNU is all about.
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Rumors are ugly, vicious beasts. They raise our hopes with wild speculation, hopes which are all too frequently dashed beneath the cold, harsh light of reality. Still, a brother can dream, right? Remember when, a couple weeks back, I started frothing at the mouth over a spec script that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" writer Stuart Beattie had written for "Halo: Fall of Reach"? Well there have been some developments, it seems.
For those who don't know, writing something like a script on "spec" means that you're doing it on your own time and with no certainty of actually selling the thing. In Beattie's case, he's a dedicated gamer who sees a lot of potential in the "Halo" franchise. Hollywood is rife with gamers these days, but few are higher-profile than "Boom Blox" producer and blockbuster originator Steven Spielberg. As this rumored luck should have it, Spielberg read Beattie's script and was "blown away" by it. Read more...
Okay, I am seriously jealous of whoever takes the prize in this auction. It's rare that I really salivate over an eBay Prop-Watch selection. Usually it's something to do with "Star Wars." It's almost always something old. Never have I wanted to grab a prop from something recent, let alone something that hasn't even been released yet. Until now.
"District 9" impressed the hell out of me. I've been watching the director, Neill Blomkamp, since his name started getting mentioned alongside "Halo." That project didn't pan out, but as we learned at Comic-Con, at least it paved the way for "District 9." And now you can own a piece of that movie, before the whole world sees it and sends the price of props skyrocketing into the stratosphere. Read more...
For many gamers -- myself included -- "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp was the next great hope for a competent video game-to-film adaptation. He paired up with Peter Jackson to deliver a big screen take on Microsoft's pride and joy franchise, "Halo." The plans ultimately fizzled out due to uncertain supporting studios and an even more uncertain financial environment. It turns out that the project's death was for the best, as without it Blomkamp's plate was cleared for next week's "District 9."
The South African filmmaker spoke with MTV's Josh Horowitz at Comic-Con, and he was more than happy to discuss his experiences with "Halo." Really though, "happy" isn't the right word. Blomkamp is clearly bummed that he didn't get to tackle Master Chief's adventures. Check the interview highlights and the video after the jump. Read more...
