It’s been a while since we’ve heard from sci-fi filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. The director of the Oscar-nominated District 9 was expected to be the next major voice in genre cinema, but after mixed reactions to his follow-ups Elysium and Chappie, and the rejection of his proposed Alien sequel (in favor of Ridley Scott’s latest prequel), it seemed as though his future was uncertain.
Until now.
Neill Blomkamp has just released the first trailer for Oats Studios, an ambitious new production company through which is making a series of ambitious short films about… well, aliens, but other than that it’s a little hard to tell. It’s just a teaser, but consider us teased.
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Neill Blomkamp is returning to his roots with Oats Studios. He first rose to prominence with a series of impressive short films like Alive in Joburg, which served as the inspiration for the blockbuster District 9 (which earned four Academy Award nomination). If the following preview is any indication, the return to the short film format may have reinvigorated his imagination, after two films in a row that seemed to have difficulties stretching their high-concept sci-fi ideas into feature-length narratives.
No official release has been announced yet, but on Neill Blomkamp’s Twitter he discusses possibility of releasing “Volume 1” of the Oats Studios shorts on YouTube for free, with premium extras available for a fee. Future volumes might then be monetized, and feature film adaptations of one of the shorts could be in the cards as well.
Check out the Oats Studios website for… well, not MUCH more information, but presumably there will be more details there soon. Most importantly, check out this very cool teaser trailer and let us know what you think!
Top Photo: Oats Studios
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
