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Neill Blomkamp is helping turn viral sci-fi short The Leviathan into a full movie

Neill Blomkamp is helping turn viral sci-fi short The Leviathan into a full movie

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The epic and gorgeous sci-fi short film The Leviathan, which racked up over 1.5 million views after it was released last week, now has two big names on board ready to turn it into a movie. Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9, has signed on as an executive producer, and Simon Kinberg, producer of the latest X-Men movie, has signed on as a producer, according to Deadline. The short was put online last week as a proof of concept by director Ruairi Robinson, who hoped to turn it into a full feature. The video received a ton of praise and attention — and that seems to have given Robinson the momentum he needed to get Hollywood's attention.

The project still needs studio backing

The Leviathan doesn't have a green light just yet, however. Deadline reports that Kinberg should be able to get studio backing for the film at Fox, but if he doesn't, it seems likely that some other studio will be eager to pick it up. More and more we've seen how much of an impact online voices can be in influencing studio decisions — a leaked video seems to have gotten Deadpool made, and one Sony exec even wants Idris Elba to be the next Bond — and The Leviathan seems likely to be the latest example of that.

In the short version of The Leviathan released last week, the story took place in a future where human slaves harvest "exotic matter" from the eggs of huge species, apparently including a giant space whale. Aside from the striking visuals and fairly novel world, the short also gives off a bit of an Alien vibe. It seemingly isn't about a gorgeous, idyllic future in space — it's about forgotten workers who have to do the awful and dangerous job of harvesting that "exotic matter." The script is written by Jim Uhls, who adapted the screenplay for Fight Club. With the team now surrounding Robinson, it's hard to imagine studios not paying attention. "Could not hope for a better team to do this movie with," Robinson writes on Twitter.

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