After Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie, Elysium) teased yesterday that he was making something for Bioware’s upcoming release Anthem, the game’s publisher EA has now revealed the director has been making a live-action Anthem short.
In a press release, EA explained Blomkamp has been developing an “original live-action short-film based on Bioware’s Anthem” for the studio. The short is set decades before Anthem and will premiere via Neill Blomkamp’s Oats Studios YouTube channel on February 14 at 10:30 AM EST / February 14 3:30 PM GMT. You can watch a teaser below:
EA summarised the live-action Anthem short as a feature which will give players a look inside the game’s social hub, Fort Tarsis, and will see the heroes (freelancers) take on the head of the evil dominion faction known as the Monitor.
Neill Blomkamp expressed his excitement about the project: “I was really blown away by this incredible world Bioware created the very first time I saw Anthem.” The director doesn’t seem to be blowing smoke either, as he tweeted as much back in 2017:
Anthem from @bioware looks so cool
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) June 12, 2017
Blomkamp continues, “Conviction sets the stage with a narrative that touches on Anthem’s beautiful and immersive world, which is ripe for exploration by these powerful Javelins. A world where danger is lurking on every ledge and in each valley.”
Blomkamp’s affinity for video games has ramped up as of late. Just last week, the South African filmmaker visited Creative Assembly for a look at their new I.P. In June 2018, he tweeted his desire to direct a game with “mechs” in it. Interestingly, Bioware was not included in the set of developers whom the director mentioned in his call to action. His dream now seems to be somewhat coming true with this opportunity to create a short including the mech-like suits called Javelins featured in Anthem.
Anthem will be released just longer than a week after Blomkamp’s short debuts on February 22. As Anthem is being released in a year in which some expect next-gen consoles, Bioware recently sought to ease concerns about transferring saves between generations.
