One of the better films of the 2009 summer season was District 9, the directorial debut of commercial/short-film director, Neill Blomkamp. Boasting an impressive set of special effects for a film with such a low budget (around $30 million), it proved all those nay-sayers wrong who thought giving Blomkamp the chance to direct such an ambitious film was a bad idea considering he’d never done a feature film before.
Those of you who saw District 9 might remember that a sequel is a possibility (although IMO not essential), and some people actually thought that might be his next project. But today we learn that isn’t the case as BFDealMemo is reporting (thanks to /Film for picking up on it) that Media Rights Capital has committed financially to Blomkamp’s next film.
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MRC committed to Blomkamp’s next film (another sci-fi outing) based on a pitch by the South African-born filmmaker. Bill Block, who was the first to jump on-board District 9, will produce the untitled sci-fi project. MRC is giving creative freedom to Blomkamp, as well as a production that isn’t contingent on domestic distribution. Blomkamp will start writing the film immediately, as well as preparing the special effects for it. Although the budget isn’t expected to be at the level of some other sci-fi blockbusters (read: the $200 million of Transformers 2), but is said to be very likely bigger than the $30 million budget of District 9.
Here’s some of what Blomkamp had to say about his next film, and working with MRC:
“MRC is letting me make the film I want to make and that is by far the most important thing here… The film will hopefully be commercial, but it is very much a singular film, that comes directly from me. `District 9′ was a bit different. I was learning the process then, under Peter Jackson’s wing.”
“I’m not particularly interested in massive budget films, or creating huge spectacles that some young directors might be attracted to… Hopefully, this will be a bit unique, very much a reflection of me. It is absolutely another science fiction film, quite different from `District 9,’ but some of the blending of genres and the tone might be within the same realm.”
MRC’s CEO, Modi Wiczyk, chimed in with some thoughts on his admiration for Blomkamp:
“Neill is ferociously independent, an auteur, and a self-generator, all qualities that make him right for MRC… He set a high bar, with a film so fresh and original, with political, philosophical and allegorical themes that define the best of the science fiction genre. Some of the most brilliant filmmakers have worked in sci-fi, and Neill made his film with less money than most of them.”
You said it! Blomkamp proved you don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars to make an impressive looking sci-fi film, particularly on the special effects side of things. As I said, I don’t think a District 9 sequel is really necessary, but at the same time I wouldn’t be mad if they decided to make another one (it’s definitely in the cards, FYI). I’m glad Blomkamp is turning his sights away from that world, however, with this yet-to-be-titled sci-fi film. Details are thin on what it’ll be about, but /Film has a quote from Blomkamp himself that says the film is set on another planet, and is, “violent, very violent, and very unique hopefully.”
Sounds intriguing to me. I can’t wait to find out more about it, and eventually see the final product to see if District 9 wasn’t a fluke. I personally highly doubt that, with the amount of skill he showed in directing the film.
What do you think of Blomkamp’s first film post-District 9? Going from the info we have at the moment, do you have any idea what the film will end up being? And do you think there should be a sequel to District 9 (District 10)?
Sources: BFDealMemo and /Film
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10 Comments
I’m super excited to see him make his “own” movie.
Also, a very nice surprise that he does not jump onto big blockbusters like most of the new directors. It really boggles my mind when an inexperienced director (think music video director) chooses a huge, big budget movie as his/her first outing. Neil seems to be taking his time, putting in the work and paying his dues before he goes on to bigger movies. Funny thing is, during his “paying dues” period he already directed a sci-fi classic that will be remembered as a great movie for a long long time.
We need more guys like him and less guys like McG.
d9 was a great movie so fresh and creative, a breath of fresh air to a aavid movie fan like my self. So glad to see him now have the respect he deserves along with the credit to now make more movies.. Please please let him helm HALO. no d10 for me the first was far to good to make another.
Good point about Halo. Hopefully the studios can wait until he does this movie and not hire a crappy director.
Great news!
It always makes me hesitant more than excited when it comes to a director’s second outing. It doesn’t matter how good the first film they do is, because usually that first film is something they’ve been dreaming up and working on for a long time. They’ve put a lot more heart into it than anything else they’ll make in a year or two.
Though I do agree with you, Ross, that watching D9 leads me to believe that Blomkamp at least as a few more solid hits in him, only time will tell.
He would have made a perfect Halo movie, if you look at the visual style of District 9 and the effects themselves, it just smacks of the Halo universe. Not in a copied way, but it is clear he still had aliens on the mind.
I know what I hope it is, “Fiasco.” But I’m pretty sure that’s not possible. He’d be perfect to do a version of “Roadside Picnic” or “War Of The Newts.” From the clues it sounds like a war movie. You know “Avatar” will most likely be about exploiting another planets natural resources for the benefit of Earth. Not hard to guess really, after looking at the video game clip for it. Inversion is the most common thing done to a staple of a genre…
I’m just really excited to see what Blomkamp’s gonna do next. He certainly proved his craft. Now only if other directors and the industry will sit up, take notice, and follow suit in the process of what makes a truly great film. District 9 and the upcoming James Cameron sci-fi epic “Avatar” are living proof that there’s still hope for cinema.
Thank the stars for Neil Blomkamp, James Cameron, David Fincher, and Ridley Scott. Transformers 2 left a bad taste in my mouth. District 9 washed it out competely.
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