Neill Blomkamp

Despite the runaway success of Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, the writer-director has faced increasingly diminishing returns as a filmmaker ever since. Whiz-bang visuals and an impressive cast weren’t enough to save Elysium, while Chappie has become better known in film circles as an internet meme (“That’s Chappie!”) than a film worth seeking out. Add in Blomkamp’s failed attempt at an Alien sequel and it seemed the director’s star had fully faded… that is, until Blomkamp announced his decision to create a serious of outrageous and expensive short films at zero cost to the public.

You know what they say: If they won’t give you Aliens, make your own.

I haven’t liked all of Neill Blomkamp’s movies, but I like Neill Blomkamp. He’s a filmmaker of bold ideas and obvious visual skills. The success of District 9, both with audiences and critics, speaks for itself. Since then, though, it’s been one stumble after another. His first Hollywood feature, Elysium with Matt Damon, was a disappointment; his follow-up, Chappie with Hugh Jackman, was a straight-up disaster. He moved on to an Alien sequel that sounded interesting (it would have featured the survivors of Aliens while ignoring Alien 3 and Resurrection), but Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant permanently killed any chance of the film getting made.

Someday, I hope someone makes a documentary about Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5. First the project was held up by Ridley Scott, then Blomkamp released concept art that kinda-sorta forced the studio’s hand, then Blomkamp’s Chappie bombed and 20th Century Fox started dragging its heels, and then Scott started saying that the project was never actually anything substantial to begin with. No Alien sequel, no matter how fun, could possibly match the twists and turns of Blomkamp’s real-life struggle to get the film made.

In hindsight, it seems kind of odd that we had two directors competing to make movies in the same franchise. Back in 2015, director Neill Blomkamp sort of bull-rushed Hollywood by releasing concept art from the Alien 5 sequel he had been working on for 20th Century Fox. This was despite the fact that Ridley Scott had already made Prometheus  —  a direct prequel to the events of the Alien universe  —  and was working on what would later become Alien: Covenant. After months of rumors and Blomkamp’s promise to bring back a few beloved characters, the project petered out, and Scott emerged the sole proprietor of the Alien franchise.

When it was announced that Neill Blomkamp, director of the fantastic District 9, was thinking about helming an Alien sequel, people were cautiously optimistic. While Elysium and Chappie were far from impressive, District 9 is by far his best project, and maybe it would be good for him to get back into movies about extraterrestrial creatures. But, alas, his take on Alien is probably not to be, as the director himself says the chances of him joining the franchise are “Slim.”

Commercials have recently gotten a bit of an upgrade. Spike Jonze recently directed that Kenzo perfume ad starring Margaret Qualley that went viral, and now Neill Blomkamp has entered into the fray with his short film, “The Escape,” that also doubles as a slick action-packed BMW commercial. It’s the latest in a kind of series by BMW: a bunch of loosely-connected action shorts all starring Clive Owen as a nameless driver.

At what point does the line between marketing and original film and television content blur completely? For years, automobile giant BMW has been producing a series of loosely connected short films starring Clive Owen as an anonymous character known only as ‘The Driver.’ While these films are obviously meant to help BMW sell cars  —  or at least sell a certainly lifestyle centered on their cars  —  they have also pulled in some of the brightest stars Hollywood has to offer. And now BMW Films and The Driver are back.

In the tale of two Alien movies, Ridley Scott is Lucy to Neill Blomkamp’s Charlie Brown, which would make those alien eggs the football, I guess? At any rate, after getting the green light from Fox to develop a new Alien sequel based on his impressive concept art, Blomkamp had the project swiftly yanked away as Scott’s own Alien: Covenant (and an as-yet-named sequel) took precedent — leaving Alien 5 on indefinite hold. But don’t worry; Blomkamp isn’t sitting around and waiting for a phone call that might not come for several years (if ever).

While many people stood in line for Marvel’s big announcements at Comic-Con International ,  other science-fiction fans were being treated to a panel discussion on the 30th anniversary of Aliens. Director James Cameron and his cast and crew talked about the experience of making the original film, but those also interested in the future of the franchise were treated to Cameron’s first impression of the oft-delayed Neill Blomkamp Alien 5.