7. Neill Blomkamp Confirms He's (Probably) A One-Hit Wonder
Talking of District 9, writer-director Neill Blomkamp may have confirmed once and for all that his 2009 film District 9 made him a one-hit wonder, because following on from 2013's middling (if commercially successful) Elysium, his latest sci-fi flick Chappie received critical pannings and underwhelmed at the box office. With his planned fifth Alien movie being shelved until after the release of Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant, it's hard not to feel like Blomkamp's success is cooling fast, and easier to entertain the idea that he's essentially a one-hit wonder, where nothing he makes will ever be as successful as District 9. Granted, that movie was nominated for Best Picture and is an insane peak for anyone's first movie, but even so, with the two underwhelming films that followed, he may simply not have what it takes for a lengthy and fruitful career. Given his clear skill as a stylist rather than a writer, that's a damn shame: he needs other people writing his screenplays ASAP.