Jackson in the district

Wellington director Peter Jackson will attend this year’s San Diego convention Comic-Con International on July 24 for the first time, the prospect delighting thousands of comic-book, science-fiction and fantasy fans. Jackson, a three-time Oscar winner, will face the mob in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center in support of District 9, an alien-internment thriller set for release by Sony on August 14. Jackson produced the film, which was directed by his friend Neill Blomkamp, who will also attend. “I’m thrilled that I finally have the opportunity,” Jackson said. He added that attendees will be in for “quite a ride.” Sony is betting that Jackson’s appearance, and the blog coverage it will probably generate, will provide a huge boost to District 9. The film, starring a cast of unknowns, is about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth. The aliens find help in a government agent sympathetic to their plight.