If you saw District 9 this summer and liked it, you may be wondering what’s next from South African director Neil Blomkamp.
Back in October, we learned that Blomkamp has another sci-fi film on the way – which will be funded by Media Rights Capital, a smaller studio that will allow Blomkamp the creative freedom he covets. (Don’t worry guys, a District 9 sequel is also on the slate.)
Blomkamp recently spoke to the guys over at Collider and had updates about his next sci-fi project, why he loves the genre and why he’s cool working on a smaller scale in terms of budget. Check out some quotes:
“I’ve been offered films – a lot of films, in fact – with seriously high budgets, and I’ve turned them all down…Once the budgets get bigger, you can’t do what you want as a director, unless you’re Peter Jackson or James Cameron.
“This next movie will cost more than “District 9″ but it will cost much, much less than the big summer films. You can do a lot for less now. It’s all about process, too. If go into it knowing what you want to accomplish, you can save money.
“Science fiction interests me massively…I like using science fiction to talk about subjects through the veneer of science fiction…I’m like a total visual kid. I grew up as an artist. Science fiction allows for design and creatures and guns and all the stuff that I like as well. So I think most of the films I make, I’m sure, will be in that category. But…I could also totally do horror. Science fiction and horror, that right there is my optimum…”
There’s much more to the transcript, so hop over to Collider if you want to read it all in full.
Blomkamp is already earning himself the label of an “auteur” – something we haven’t really heard (rightly) applied to a young filmmaker since the days of Kubrick or Hitchcock. The guy really seems to have clarity of vision, a serious talent for visual effects and, best of all, the quintessential essence of a great filmmaker: the ability to tell an interesting story.
On the one hand I do hope to see Blomkamp branch out into other genres – but on the other hand, I’m glad he’s sticking around to continue pushing sci-fi back in the right direction. Can’t wait for his next project – how about you?
In the meantime, District 9 is out on DVD/Blu-ray.
