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District 9 sounds like something that could have gone straight to DVD. A low budget science fiction film about aliens on Earth from a first time director that stars no one you’ve heard of (with the lead actor having never starred in a feature film before), it ended up becoming a summer blockbuster that opened to #1 at the US box office as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. You couldn’t even make this up.

In 1982, a large alien mothership arrives on Earth, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The aliens are separated from the humans, exiled to a government camp that eventually becomes a slum known as District 9. Cut to present day and the government has set up the private company Multinational United (MNU) in an effort to relocate the aliens to a new camp. In charge of the operation is Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley). However, during a routine investigation of an alien’s shack, he comes into contact with an unusual substance that radically changes his life.

Director Neill Blomkamp initially came to the attention of many after he was attached to direct a live action film of the video game Halo. That a first time director was attached to a multi-million dollar film based on a popular video game franchise, Blomkamp instantly became a target. Basically, who the hell is this guy and why is he directing Halo?

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Blomkamp started out working as an effects artist, directing short films and commercials (he’s the one responsible for that Citroen dancing car advert). Peter Jackson was helping develop the Halo movie, a co-production between Universal and 20th Century Fox. After viewing some of Blomkamp’s work Jackson picked him as the director, only it didn’t work out. Four months into pre-production and the project collapsed, for apparently Universal and Fox didn’t get along. Speaking to Empire, Jackson revealed how he and his partner Fran Walsh felt terrible for Blomkamp. “It was heartbreaking,” said Jackson. “This was Neill’s first feature and his first experience of this world.”

Rather than waste all the momentum that went into working on Halo, Jackson offered to help Blomkamp work on another film. It was Walsh who came up with the idea that he should adapt his short Alive in Joburg into a feature length film. Just days after Halo collapsed, Blomkamp and his wife Terri Tatchell began work on adapting his short into what would become District 9.

Before shooting began, a deal was signed in November 2007 at the American Film Market with Sony to distribute the film. Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal, said, “We believe District 9 can be a true event tentpole on our release slate.”

The lack of studio interference allowed Blomkamp to make the film he wanted to, with Jackson supporting him and a few of his unusual decisions. As well as shooting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Blomkamp wanted to improvise some of the dialogue and cast the lead role of Wikus to Sharlto Copley, an old friend with no previous acting experience. Justifying the reason for improvisation, Blomkamp said, “The bottom line is I wanted it to feel as real as possible. I think improv has a reality about it as long as the actors are delivering.” The decision to cast Copley came when shooting test footage for the film. “I asked Sharlto to play an MNU field agent for this promo piece,” recalled Blomkamp to Empire. “As soon as he put on the bulletproof vest and started to improv, it was clear he had to be the lead guy.” If District 9 began its process through one of the major studios, then it’s highly likely that they’ll tell their director (even one with a few hits to their name) to change the location to the US and drop Copley for someone who has more than one film on their CV.

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