Out of this World!

Given where much of the movie was shot — a landfill — that wasn't a huge problem. Copley spent much of his time on the set literally rolling around in garbage, acting opposite a guy in a motion-capture suit (one actor, Jason Cope, played the Prawns before they were re-created by CG). Copley found his first feature-film experience to be pretty unromantic. ''Scrounging through real trash to find a prop sandwich strategically placed in the middle of the stuff — it was brutal,'' says the star, 35. ''They'd have to comb the area before shooting just to pull the nails out.'' Blomkamp also found filming in his hometown tough. ''The shoot was incredibly difficult, grueling as hell,'' he says. ''Johannesburg is just concrete and dust and burning fires and barbed wires and pollution. Even for the South Africans on the crew, it was seriously eye-opening.''

Thanks to a clever viral marketing campaign — ''For Humans Only'' signs plastered on bus stops in major U.S. cities — awareness about the movie began to build over the summer, while Blomkamp finished editing in South Africa. Then, late last month, a print was flown to Comic-Con for a ''secret'' screening for well-placed fanboys and bloggers. The Internet lit up. CHUD.com: ''Exciting, funny, gory, fun and heartbreaking.'' Cinematical.com: ''I haven't been this moved by a film or a performance in quite some time.'' Ain't It Cool News: ''District 9 is a landmark film.'' Twitter was aflutter with raves for the film as well; even American Idol winner Jordin Sparks tweeted positive word of mouth about the movie to her 220,000-plus followers. Comic-Con hadn't generated so much buzz since Gerard Butler strapped on a codpiece for 300.

That word of mouth has since spread far beyond the San Diego Convention Center. According to tracking reports, District 9 has already generated more must-see interest among audiences than Cloverfield did prior to its own release (the J.J. Abrams-produced 2008 sci-fi flick, which also rode an underground wave, opened at $40 million). There have been other auspicious indications as well — like talk of a District 9 sequel. Jackson's plate is pretty full these days, but he isn't counting out the possibility. ''Although,'' he notes, ''if I've done my job properly, Neill won't need me anymore.'' As for Blomkamp, he's clearly up for another. ''I would do anything to go back to the world of District 9 again,'' he says. ''Or District 10.''

To see a clip from District 9, go to EW.com/D9

Introducing Sharlto Copley

How did a 35-year-old South African with virtually no acting experience end up the star of District 9? Well, it didn't hurt that he's been friends with director Neill Blomkamp forever. Back when Sharlto Copley was a 20-year-old TV producer, he hired Blomkamp as a computer-graphics designer — despite the fact that he was only 14. ''I gave Neill his first job,'' Copley says. ''And he's certainly returned the favor.'' Initially, Blomkamp asked Copley to improvise a character for some District 9 test footage. His performance was enough to convince the director — and producer Peter Jackson — that he could play the lead. Blomkamp always knew his buddy had hidden talents: ''He can become whatever character he wants. He once convinced one of his friends he was in the witness protection program.'' Prior to District 9, Copley worked in a variety of fields in South Africa, where he still resides with his girlfriend of many years. He has directed commercials, music videos, and short films. He once even owned a talent agency. In person, Copley is warm, funny, voluble — and as surprised as anyone that he's suddenly being photographed at places like the New York premiere of Julie & Julia. During the arduous D9 shoot, Copley used to joke, ''When does the fame start?'' Right about now.