Yesterday we all got the news that the Halo movie had a director, and in a bit of a shock, it was someone who'd never directed a film before. Neil Blomkamp is apparently visual effects genius, but he's never handled anything like this. So the question is, can he pull it off?
Today, he spoke with AICN to answer some of the questions we've all been asking about it. Well, I say he spoke with them, but if you read their interview it sounds like they emailed him a bunch of questions and then either he or a publicist sent back answers to them. It's not a legitimate conversation.
Still, the good news here is that the guy doesn't sound like a total idiot. Maybe we should be happy just to have someone in charge of a geek franchise who doesn't speak in the third person or have wild delusions of grandeur, and Blomkamp seems to fit that bill too. Blomkamp seems into the project, which is good. It should be. It's his big break and there's no doubt that whatever happens the guy will probably work his ass off to make a good movie out of this. But desire and ability are two completely different things. Does he have the necessary skills?
We don't know, but it sounds like he's at least being realistic. "I certainly respect how complex it is, and how much focus is required," he says. "There will be some very hard times, with tons of pressure but you work through it. I am so invested in it from a creative standpoint that my eye just stays on the end goal, I keep focused on making it exactly how I want it and treat every day as a path to that final product, plus the support from the New Zealand team is really amazing, its not like i’m out in the woods alone, they’ve done this back to back for like 10 years."
For some reason I like that. Blomkamp sounds, if nothing else, like a guy who really has the whole thing in perspective. A guy willing to rely on more experienced people to get the most out of all of this. Maybe he's not what Halo fans wanted and who knows if he can pull this off, but at this point it seems fair to hold back and just give him a shot. You're not getting Steven Spielberg people, we're going to have to live with it. If what I've heard about what Transformers is turning into is true, just be glad someone like Michael Bay isn't sticking his fingers into this.
To read the full text of AICN's sort-of interview with the new director of Halo, just click right here.
