Neill Blomkamp Shares New Alien 5 Concept Art

[SpeedyMaxx]

Dude needs to move on.

[RidgeTop]

Dude needs to move on.

Pretty sure he has, it's called Oats Studios. Even still if an entire volume of art was created, fans will want to see that and he probably likes sharing it. Even if he is testing the waters as some have suggested then so what? Let him. In my opinion Fox made a mistake by not simply having both of these films made. And if Fox has new leadership they'll be looking at things like this. The fact that this art goes viral whenever he shares it says that interest for the project remains strong, regardless how hopeless it seems to ever be officially revisited.

As we've also said on the podcast, if the project is officially cancelled, there should be a book of this artwork, or perhaps some other media format like a graphic novel, elaborating on what could have been.

[Russ]

Is there any credence to the idea that if was really utterly dead, the treatment would have surfaced (or script - I can't remember now). I mean, we have loads of scripts of aborted projects in the library here.

I don't think this is a "meaningless" post. He knows there's a shakeup at Fox... if I was him, I'd be thinking "why the hell not." I mean, people are clearly still interested in it, it always gathers buzz when he "suddenly remembers" he has more artwork lying about *lol*.

So for me, he's hoping for another shot - and fair play to him, he put a lot of work in and it's clearly a passion project. NB's ability to deliver is up to the individual, I guess... I don't know how well he'd be able to pull it off - it could be great.

[SpeedyMaxx]

Dude needs to move on.

Pretty sure he has, it's called Oats Studios.

A webseries. Far cry from his career pre-Elysium and Chappie. Getting in like Flynn with the Alien franchise would be a ticket back for him. He's not worthy of it but he can't drop the topic.

[RidgeTop]

Dude needs to move on.

Pretty sure he has, it's called Oats Studios.

A webseriies. Far cry from his career pre-Elysium and Chappie.

It's an independent film studio that he just started. These shorts are proofs of concepts and as he's stated, he has the goal of one of them being developed into a feature film. District 9 and Chappie both started as short films of his. Also, the media landscape is drastically changing and he's experimenting with how this type of media is released. The reception to these shorts has been wildly positive, so to insinuate he's done anything other than progress in his career I would say is unfair.

He's also said a sequel to District 9 is likely his next major project.

[Corporal Hicks]

And he's also attached to the book adaptation, The Gone World or something like that?

[FiorinaFury161]

The artwork is nice, just leave Alien3 alone Neil.

[SpeedyMaxx]

It's an independent film studio that he just started. These shorts are proofs of concepts and as he's stated, he has the goal of one of them being developed into a feature film. District 9 and Chappie both started as short films of his. Also, the media landscape is drastically changing and he's experimenting with how this type of media is released. The reception to these shorts has been wildly positive, so to insinuate he's done anything other than progress in his career I would say is unfair.

I really don't think it is. It's been a steady fall. If he was able to get A5 or something else off the ground at a studio, I doubt you'd ever have seen him going DIY with self-produced shorts or talking about returning to D9, his one wholly well-received film.

I loved District 9. But his subsequent projects have made it clear to me that Blomkamp was a one-hit wonder - he had one skill, one idea and he's been trying lackluster variations on it since.

And to be clear, while I think doing an A5 that is some sort of fanfic redo of a post-Aliens film is a bad idea, I'm all for seeing Ripley once more. I just in no way think Blomkamp has the skill or creativity to do anything beyond a sort of James Cameron imitation reskin. His one note is "tech fetishism vs. the evil corporations" - and that's a note this franchise already ran into the ground in the 1990s.

[Kane's other son]

Blomkamp needs to leave screenwriting to others.

[RidgeTop]

And he's also attached to the book adaptation, The Gone World or something like that?

Oh yeah, it looks like he is slated to direct, for 20th Century Fox no less. Strange thing is that the book itself isn't supposed to be released until February of 2018.

http://www.slashfilm.com/neill-blomkamp-to-direct-the-gone-world

Some interesting tidbits in that link:

"With his experimental passion project Oats Studios, Blomkamp is going through a process of creative renewal right now — or supposedly he is. After his breakout success of the high-concept sci-fi film District 9, Blomkamp has struggled to get another critical and commercial hit. Elysium was too sanctimonious, while Chappie was atonal and just plain bad. He was using Oats Studios as a creative "lab" to cook up ideas that could be turned into feature films, and perhaps get in touch with his short-film roots that first got him noticed.

Now with The Gone World, an adaptation may be the safest step back into the sci-fi feature world for him."

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the very fact that he's admitted flaws and a desire to improve in his storytelling is a great attribute. Most directors would have too much of an ego for that. If you look on Steam his new shorts have an "Overwhelmingly Positive" reception. This phase is probably just what he needs right now. I mean, look at how M. Night Shyamalan made a comeback. It can be done and I suspect his best films are yet to come. I will admit that District 9, Elysium, and Chappie had too many tonal and aesthetic similarities, however I enjoyed all three and would say they were at least decent sci-fi.

[skhellter]

So.... his aesthetic decisions for this were
"i really liked Aliens, guys. Let's repeat all that stuff?"

[Biomechanoid]

Is there any credence to the idea that if was really utterly dead, the treatment would have surfaced (or script - I can't remember now).

Last I heard, there is no script, just a concept, but I haven't followed A5 in detail. In 2017, Scott stated that it was doubtful Blomkamp's film would ever be made as there had never even been a script written for it, but simply a basic, undeveloped concept built around Blomkamp's artwork. But that is from IMDB, user submitted info, so who knows if it's legit.

[Corporal Hicks]

He did say that. But he also said in the past that'd he'd seen the script and it was good. Cameron and Weaver both said they'd read the script and it was good. So methinks Scott is wrong/mis-remembering/purposefully downplaying how far the project went.

[Russ]

Thanks both.

As I say, my guess is that this is a bit carpe diem given the Disney takeover. How much traction it'll actually garner is anyone's guess... and I can imagine that he may well drop whatever he's working on if they told him to go ahead with this?

But, it it all goes Pete Tong, maybe the script will leak one day too...

[skhellter]

Maybe it was just a long "scriptment" that Blomkamp prepared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scriptment

There's got to be a chance of interviewing Blomkamp about this, now.
Get some details out of him.