How The Halo Movie Collapse Led To Neill Blomkamp Making District 9
Neill Blomkamp is a director with a penchant for science-fiction. With movies like "District 9," "Elysium," and "Chappie" under his belt, Blomkamp certainly has a flair for lo-fi and dilapidated set pieces augmented with pieces of high technology. In "District 9," it is the combination of a slum-like environment laced with the technology of the Prawns; in "Elysium," it is a used-up Earth, offset with an idyllic paradise in the sky; and in "Chappie," it is a sentient robot hanging out with Die Antwoord.
According to Huff Post, Blomkamp was attached to a movie adaptation of the hit video game "Halo" around 2006, and he said, "I was genetically created to direct 'Halo'...I know that my version of 'Halo' would have been insanely cool. It was more fresh and potentially could have made more than just a generic, boring film."
Unfortunately, creative and financial differences occurred between the parties involved, and the "Halo" movie was eventually put into a hiatus. But this opened up other opportunities for the young director.
Peter Jackson helped Blomkamp get District 9 made
Speaking with Big Fan Boy in an interview on YouTube, Neill Blomkamp explained how legendary director and co-producer of the erstwhile "Halo" movie Peter Jackson helped him. Blomkamp stated, "And he hired me to do 'Halo' and I went down to New Zealand and spent about, you know, a few months working on 'Halo' and then it collapsed. He's had movies collapse on him and he knew what I was going through. I mean he's just a very kind and generous, awesome guy and he said this really sucks and I feel bad for you, you know, and I can help you get another film and we can do it differently so that we can control it."
The movie, of course, was 2009's "District 9," which was nominated for 117 awards and won 31 (via IMDb). The movie is set in South Africa, where refugee aliens reveal themselves to humanity, but instead of being a conquering or benevolent force, the aliens are weak, starving, and bereft of hope.
However, one can see where Blomkamp's vision in "District 9" would have fit the world of "Halo" perfectly. The gritty and realistic sci-fi weapons, and look of the aliens themselves could have easily faced off against the likes of Master Chief and the rest of the Spartans from "Halo."