You may be as sick as we are of hearing how the Blomkamp/Jackson Halo movie is dead. For all that chatter, however, you probably never heard what it was about Halo that got Blomkamp interested in the first place.
Sure, there are lasers and aliens and intergalactic fighting. If you were born with a penis and played with action figures as a kid, that kind of thing appeals if you're looking to make an expensive popcorn flick. But there's also something a little deeper than that.
Here's Blomkamp speaking with movie site Rotten Tomatoes:
I totally love the universe of Halo on every level. Not only is it this epic space saga but Master Chief is such an awesome character. This guy - whether he knows it or not - is a victim of this military-industrial complex. It's a totally compelling world to be involved in.
You know, I never thought of him as that. A victim. You're so busy kicking ass during the games that you never stop and wonder whether Master Chief actually enjoys his job, or how he came to get stuck in a robot suit saving the galaxy from purple aliens (OK, so the latter you might if you're the type to read up on expanded universe material).
Neil Blomkamp Talks District 9 [Rotten Tomatoes]