Peter Jackson unveils District 9 at Comic-Con

As director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and producer of the forthcoming Hobbit films, Peter Jackson was given a hero's welcome when he made his debut at Comic-Con, the pop-culture festival.

"All this geek power," he said affectionately. "I wish I could take the amount of energy and bottle it and give it to Hollywood executives to drink."

Uproarious applause ensued.

Jackson came to the San Diego Convention Centre to introduce the latest film he produced, "District 9," a tale of alien invasion and segregation set in South Africa.

Jackson had worked with the film's director, Neill Blomkamp, on the now-defunct big-screen adaptation of the "Halo" video game before it was suddenly shelved thanks to what Jackson called "studio politics."

Disappointed, he and Blomkamp, a man Jackson describes as "born to make movies," channeled their energies into "District 9" instead.

"We woke up in the morning thinking we were making 'Halo' and went to bed that night making 'District 9,'" Jackson said. "But it worked out for the best as far as I'm concerned."

"District 9" tells the story of an alien ship that mysteriously came to hover over Johannesburg. Its inhabitants were separated from the human population and segregated into an area known as District 9. But after nearly 30 years, government officials aim to relocate the extraterrestrials - and the aliens aren't too happy about it.

Jackson and Blomkamp developed the story based on a short film Blomkamp made called "Alive in Joburg." A pseudo-documentary, "District 9" uses handheld cameras, security camera style footage and faux newscasts blended with bloody action and lots of firepower to tell the story.

"I really like the idea of science fiction that feels real, and because I like sci-fi so much ... I kind of wanted to see it in a way that felt as realistic and grounded as possible," Blomkamp said.

And with the tale he was telling, it made sense to set it in his childhood home of South Africa.

"Because of South Africa's really racially charged political background, that was the natural place for the story to go, with segregation and everything else," the first-time director said.

But don't expect a heavy-handed political film.

"Ultimately it is a Hollywood thrill ride really more than any sort of political statement," he said.

Jackson said he acted as a mentor and facilitator, urging his protege to make his own movie in his own way.

"There's no point in me trying to have Neill make my movie by proxy, because I may as well do it myself," Jackson said. "But I'm incredibly proud to have my name on it."

"District 9" opens August 14. Comic-Con continues through the weekend.

- AP