While he’s waiting to find out if he’ll ever get his ALIEN sequel off the ground, director Neill Blomkamp is likely looking to fill his plate with other high-concept projects. One such project could be THE GONE WORLD, a sci-fi novel by Thomas Sweterlitsch.
The book, which is yet to be published, was nabbed by 20th Century Fox, the studio Blomkamp signed up to do ALIEN 5 with. Maybe this is a consolation prize for the DISTRICT 9 helmer as he awaits that sequel’s fate.
Not much is known about THE GONE WORLD’s plot, but Deadline claims it’s a “sci-fi time travel procedural.”
While Blomkamp’s films have consistently been interesting, they’re really getting repetitive, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he might benefit from tackling someone else’s material at this stage. It might refresh the South African’s batteries after the bummer that was ELYSIUM and the WTF-ness of CHAPPIE.