14 DAY TRIAL // Film site "Ain't It Cool" made what probably is the first interview with Neill Blomkamp, since he was yesterday announced as directing the Halo film. The movie doesn't come out until 2008 so there's still time for major changes. Yet we wonder what does he want to do, and why producer Peter Jackson thinks he's the right choice.
"Well, I don't want to give away exactly how I want to be, but, big budget action can certainly look very similar to 100 other films which are big budget action, so my goal is to make something that is honestly unique and a radical departure from stuff we are used to. I've been given the resources and the source material to make something awesome, so I have to really invest myself 100% in a film that I love every frame of, and for me to love every frame means it has to have something that sets it apart."
One of Neill Blomkamp's last efforts is a short film about extra-terrestrials landing in early 90's South Africa, entitled Alive in Joburg (2005). Outlandish and vaguely Haloesque, it landed him the director job for the upcoming feature film. It appears like most people involved in the project are Halo fans, as he admits being one as well.
Concerning one of the game's landmarks, the Master Chief, there's a subtle difference between moving well and moving athletically: "Master Chief is certainly something that I do not want to change too much at all, there are certain things inside the Halo universe that are sacred and he's the main one. Having said that, there is a need to revise certain parts of him, just from a purely technical standpoint, he has to actually be able to move, like a human, and the game design right now does not allow for full motion freedom, which we will have to achieve."
Since you do not have full range of motion in the arms, legs, or for crouched poses in full armor, the movie will incorporate some computer generated graphics. After all, Master Chief isn't a handsome secret agent; he's a suit of armor with a gold mirrored visor. If the director has the determination to create an entire movie without putting a human face on the protagonist, Halo fans will be surprised, impressed, and pleased.