Look, interviews can be tough business. As someone who has done quite a few interviews with filmmakers and actors over the years, you hope for the best, but you never know when something can go off the rails. Over at UPROXX, Neill Blomkamp recently gave an interview where he discussed “Gran Tourismo” and… not much else. You see, it was clear that the filmmaker didn’t have any interest in discussing his previous work, such as “District 9” or his almost-filmed “Alien” sequel. His responses about both projects were short and not very illuminating, and it led to an awkward end to an interview. That said, journalist Mike Ryan did mention the ‘Alien’ franchise, which led to a short, but very blunt comment from Blomkamp.
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For those that don’t remember, Neill Blomkamp was attached to direct an “Alien” sequel nearly a decade ago. There seemed to be a lot of hype about it. There was definitely a lot of excitement, both from the fans and from the filmmaker. Eventually, we even saw concept art for the project. However, much like several of Blomkamp’s big studio projects (“Halo,” “RoboCop” sequel, etc…), the ‘Alien’ film fell apart. Now, years later, it appears the filmmaker doesn’t even want to talk about it.
“It’s hard to define how little I care about what happens with ‘Alien,’” said Blomkamp.
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Now, it must be said, the context surrounding the comment is worth discussing briefly. As mentioned, this reply came after several questions that Blomkamp was clearly uninterested in discussing. So, when the topic of ‘Alien’ was brought up, the filmmaker just wasn’t in the most welcoming mood. (He might have already done dozens of interviews previously too, as is typical of press days.) That said, it’s quite clear that Blomkamp really doesn’t want to discuss that never-made sequel. Whether that’s just frustration from this interview, a negative experience surrounding the development, or just a desire to never answer the question again (he has been asked about it quite a bit over the years), you can’t help but feel like Blomkamp means those words.
Of course, it’s not like Blomkamp would likely work on another ‘Alien’ project in the future. He’s already talked about his distaste for the Hollywood studio system. Also, 20th Century Studios has moved on from that sequel idea and has already filmed a new sequel, as well as begun production on a TV spinoff that will be coming to FX likely in the next year. But, at this point, it really doesn’t sound as if we’ll ever get much more info about Blomkamp’s plan for the franchise… or any of the other unproduced studio films he was famously attached to. (It’s a bummer because I could talk to him for hours about “RoboCop,” and I really wish he would have been able to get that done.)
“Gran Turismo” arrives in theaters on August 25.
