With years of science fiction experience underneath his belt, many films were shocked when Neil Blomkamp, the visionary behind District 9, decided to direct a Gran Turismo movie. In a recent interview, Blomkamp shed some light on what caused him to join Gran Turismo.
Directors usually stay in their sandbox of a particular genre. Earlier this week, the first trailer for Martin Scorsese's new film Killers of the Flower Moon dropped and seemed to slot perfectly into the legendary director's disproportionately crime-centric filmography. Or, take Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film The Movie Critic, which promises to be not only his last film but also another self-referential flick about the film industry that's undoubtedly riddled with easter eggs related to his mini film universe.
Having a preferred genre isn't a bad thing, mind you. People like what they know, and they know what they like, but every once in a while, directors like to get experimental and move away from the comforts of the familiar. One such example is sci-fi director extraordinaire Neil Blomkamp deciding to take the reigns of the new Gran Turismo adaptation. While the choice may seem to come out of the left field for film fans, Blomkamp has a surprisingly simple explanation for his decision to helm the film.
"I'm just obsessed with cars. Totally obsessed," Blomkamp said. "So I was like, 'Yeah, I should probably do this film.'"
When talking more about the genre of Gran Turismo, Blomkamp also admitted that it's technically a sports film. Although he doesn't think of GT in this manner, the movie's focus on motor sports means that those who enjoy sports movies are likely to find something to love with Gran Turismo. Blomkamp also admitted that this is likely the only such movie in the genre that he'll likely create, which makes sense given that most of his other projects fall into the science fiction category.
"I think it probably will ultimately fall into that genre," he said of Gran Turismo's genre. "I definitely don't think of it that way but I think it's hard not to. It's definitely the closest that I'll ever get to making a sports film – that is for sure!"
