Biography

Was set to direct a highly-anticipated movie adaptation of the popular video game Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) after a screenplay by Alex Garland. Peter Jackson would supervise as producer. There were initial difficulties because Microsoft, the owner of the game franchise, had a long list of demands, including 10 million dollar for the screenplay, 15% of the box office earnings, a budget of at least 75 million dollar and a lot of creative control. Most studies turned the project down, until Fox and Universal agreed to co-produce it. Ten million dollar were already spent on development, and Blomkamp even moved to New Zealand to oversee pre-production at WETA studios, when Universal tried to force budget cuts. Since neither Jackson or Microsoft were willing to agree on this, the project was shelved. Jackson then asked Blomkamp if he had any other ideas, and Blomkamp suggested an expanded remake of his short film Alive in Joburg (2005), which ultimately became his much praised feature film debut District 9 (2009).

Immigrated to Canada at 18 years old.

(May 10, 2010) Merited a position in Time magazine's - The 100 Most Influential People in the World ("Artists" category) - with an homage contributed by Ridley Scott.

Graduated from Vancouver Film School's 3D Animation and Visual Effects program in 1998.

He is friends with Michael Bay.

Johannesburg is weird, because half of it is like Los Angeles. It feels like just wealthy parts of L.A. But half of it is severe slummy, something like Rio De Janiero or something. So it's kind of weird, because it's both happening at the same time.

A lot of parts of L.A. are interchangeable with suburbs in Joburg. Very big, ostentatious houses with palm trees and lawns. Lawns are very important. Never underestimate lawns.

Chappie (2015) would be like RoboCop (1987) but hilarious. If you mixed "Robocop" with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and it was... funny, that's what it is.

There has to be the popcorn genre element, or I don't engage the same way. I like action and vehicle design and guns and computer graphics as much as I like allegory. It's a constant balancing game. I want audiences to be on this rollercoaster that fits the Hollywood mould, but I also want them to absorb my observations.

A lot of America is kind of done. People have been making films about it for 100 years. Everything to me feels used up. But Jo-Burg feels unbelievably inspirational to me.