
Back in early January, out of nowhere, District 9 director Neill Blomkamp posted previously unseen concept art for a new Alien movie that he’d been tossing around in his head. Needless to say, the art was received quite positively on the Internet, with images ranging from Ripley wearing a space jockey helmet to another one of Ripley and Hicks. (Needless to say, Sigourney Weaver, who Blomkamp just worked with on Chappie, is a big part of his vision.)
So, what exactly are these?
On Tuesday, I met with Blomkamp, who is promoting Chappie (the full interview will run closer to release), at his New York City hotel room and asked him about this art. As it turns out, there’s a very real possibility that Blomkamp may actually be making a new Alien movie, and it sounds like the ball is very much in his court.
Where did this Alien concept art you posted come from?
Basically, what happened was, when Chappie got heavily into post-production, I could take my foot off the gas a bit. I was thinking about what I wanted to do next and I’ve been wanting to make an Alien film for like years and years.
But you’ve never really said that before.
No.
People have heard you say that you don’t want to make an existing franchise type movie after what happened with Halo, before District 9.
That’s still true, by the way.
So that’s why it’s surprising that you want to do Alien.
Speaking to Sigourney Weaver, when we were doing Chappie, she set off a bunch of thoughts in my head — I had come up with an idea that didn’t have Sigourney, it was a different idea. But I spent all of the shooting time with her, it was like, holy shit, that could actually be really interesting. When I came back to Vancouver, I had an entire year to work on Chappie. And when I wasn’t needed in the edit, I could think about Alien. So, I basically developed an entire movie and I did all of this artwork as well.
Is this an abnormal way to go about this?
It’s totally abnormal. But it’s for the reason that you bring up, if it’s going to happen, it has to be on my terms. So, I came up with it and I’m bringing this to you. It’s not like, “Would you like to do Spider-Man 36?” I still love it, I love the idea of the movie and I produced way more art than I put out.
The art was very specific, it looked like a complete story. Ripley is wearing a space jockey helmet.
It was a whole story. Then I just wasn’t sure if I was going to do another film, like, at all.
Why?
Sometimes Hollywood just sort of gets to me. I love movies, but Hollywood itself is a difficult animal to negotiate. So, then I was like, if I don’t do any, I should put some of this artwork out and that’s exactly what happened.
Is that you giving up on possibly doing an Alien movie?
It’s not really giving up on the idea.
People on the Internet responded really well to that artwork.
There’s a high possibility, a high degree of chance that it happens that I go back and try to get Alien made.
In case it never happens, why is Ripley wearing a space jockey helmet?
I can’t tell you! It might happen! It’s cool though; it’s really cool … I’ll decide soon.
Someone at Fox should listen to you about this.
That’s not the problem, actually.
What’s the problem?
Me. I’m the problem. Fox, they would make it. Like, tomorrow. They would make it.
So if you called right now and said, “OK, done.”
Yes. Then it would happen.
Would it be your vision, or do they have their own ideas?
No, I think it would work out.
Then just do it.
I know, I just have to mentally agree with that.
Then what’s the problem here? I assumed there were obstacles, like maybe Ridley Scott wasn’t on board.
No, no, it’s not politics.
Then let’s do it.
[Laughs] OK.
THE MONSTER IN ME
Nov 20
Posted by Jack
A superbly functioning creature whose real life capabilities could easily be adapted to a game creature or “monster.” If you ask me the very best “monsters” are those who possess capabilities adapted straight from real life creatures.
I can see many useful applications (Real World and fictional) for such a capability.
Mysterious ‘Glow Worm’ Discovered in the Peruvian Rainforest
by Tia Ghose, Staff Writer | November 18, 2014 12:30pm ET
A mysterious glowing worm has been discovered lighting up the soil in the Peruvian rainforest.
The strange glow worms, which are thought to be the larval stage of an as-yet-unidentified species of beetle, may use their phosphorescence to lure unsuspecting flies and ants into their waiting, open jaws.
Ants or termites will “fly right into their jaws, and then they’ll just clamp shut and that’s their meal,” said Aaron Pomerantz, an entomologist who works with a rainforest expedition company at the Refugio Amazonas near the Tambopata Research Center in Peru, where the glowing larvae were discovered. [See Images of the Glowing Worm]
In tests, the glow worms readily devoured stick insects and termites, Pomerantz said. Their style of attack seems similar to that of the enormous, man-eating worms in the 1990 campy movie “Tremors,” albeit at a much smaller scale, he said.
“They’re underground, and they burst from the earth,” Pomerantz told Live Science.
Glowing earth
Nature photographer Jeff Cremer found the tiny pinpricks of light glowing in a wall of earth when he was working at a lodge in the Peruvian jungle. On closer inspection, Cremer discovered several dozen of these tiny insects, which measured about 0.5 inches (1.2 centimeters), shining green in the night.
Cremer brought them to the attention of entomologists who work at the rainforest nature lodge, who had never seen anything similar in the region.
The team determined that the worms were the larvae of an unknown species of click beetle. These beetles, which belong to the family Elateridae, use a fast popping or “clicking” motion to escape predators, Pomerantz said. Adults may feed on flowers and nectar, but the larvae are probably predatory.
There are more than 10,000 species of click beetles, including about 200 that are bioluminescent, meaning that they give off light. These strange little creatures may potentially be cousins of Brazilian fire beetles and could belong to the group of bugs called Pyrophorini, Pomerantz said.
Brazilian fire beetles burrow into termite mounds, creating ethereal, glowing towers at night, Pomerantz said. Though it’s not exactly clear how the newly discovered insects produce light, similar creatures use a class of molecules known as luciferins to give off their ghostly yellow glow. Pyrophorini typically maintain a constant glow through the night, and may even shine brighter when a predator touches them.
Why they glow
Bioluminescent animals usually glow to either lure in prey or to warn predators that they contain noxious chemicals. But the glowing also occasionally serves other purposes. For instance, fireflies’ blinking is essentially a come-hither signal for potential mates, Pomerantz said.
In the case of the click-beetle larvae, it seems the creatures glow to lure in prey, Pomerantz said. The Brazilian click beetles aggregate in termite mounds and glow to attract more prey.
Right now, the team isn’t sure if it’s discovered a completely new species or a new subspecies of an already known species of beetle larva, but the researchers are contacting experts in Brazil to find out, Pomerantz said.
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Tags: Bioluminescent animals, creature, discovery, gaming, glow worm, monster, Peru, science