Neill Blomkamp recounts that while filming a series of short films with Bungie to promote its iconic Halo franchise, the District 9 director needed to have his ear rebuilt following an accident on set.
Speaking to Game Informer, Blomkamp discussed how he needed plastic surgery following an incident involving a Warthog, one of Halo's 4x4 military vehicles. "I had to have my right ear re-built with a prosthetic with plastic surgery, it completely destroyed my right ear making these shorts. I was physically in the Warthog," said Blomkamp, who goes on to describe how the vehicle's prop turret was locked in place using a specialized pin mechanism.
"...the director of photography was strapped on the other side with his own camera and we were filming pieces of that short film, " continues Blomkamp. "Then the stunt driver hit a bump at really high speed and launched both of us up out of the back of the Warthog. Based on how we hit the bump, I was thrown right into the gun. So the lockdown rotating gun, which is solid steel gear, mind you, and it just offs a piece of my ear. So then the medic on set had to take me out, we finished shooting and that night I had to go get plastic surgery."
The South African filmmaker is no stranger to the Halo franchise. After working on Halo Landfall, the collective name of the shorts he shot, Blomkamp was tapped to direct the live-action Halo movie. The film was set to stick closely to the narrative of Halo: Combat Evolved, the ground-breaking 2001 shooter. Yet creative differences between Blomkamp and the film's producers and a fall-out between the movies' studios (Fox, Universal and Microsoft) led to the film's cancellation.
After production on the Halo movie fell through, Blomkamp went on to produce several major sci-fi blockbusters. His most notable film, District 9, went on to receive several Academy Award nominations. He also directed 2013's Elysium and 2015's Chappie. His latest film, Demonic, launched on Aug. 20.
While Blomkamp's Halo film may have fallen through the cracks of bureaucracy, fans wanting to see Master Chief on the small screen shouldn't give up hope just yet. A live-action Halo series is currently in production for streaming service Paramount+. The series stars Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Bentley Kalu and is set to release in 2022.
Source: Game Informer