Details and preview images from The Art Of District 9: Weta Workshop |

WETA Workshop was nice enough to forward us some images from the upcoming book The Art Of District 9: Weta Workshop, which tells the story of, and brilliantly illustrates, the conceptual design process of the Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller District 9, one of the most successful films of 2009.

Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by the legendary Peter Jackson, District 9 – which takes a fresh look at race relations through the language of science fiction – came out of nowhere to be featured on the Top 100 movies of all time at IMDb, after its uproarious beginnings in the hallowed Hall H of Comic-Con.

Weta Workshop’s creative director (and five time Academy Award winner) Richard Taylor, together with designers Greg Broadmore, David Meng, Leri Greer and Christian Pearce, worked closely with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, contributing more than 650 of pieces of conceptual art to the book, showcasing the genesis of the guns, alien looks, vehicles, and graphic language, that make up the essence of District 9’s world.

Weta designer Daniel Falconer, author of The Crafting Of Narnia and The World of Kong, collected and sorted through the goldmine of material, and wrote the accompanying text for the volume, which features a cover design by Leri Greer. The stunning 160-page hardcover also features; a foreword by Neill Blomkamp; an introduction by Richard Taylor; behind-the-scenes photographs from the District 9 set; commentary and quotes from the director and the artists; and images of props not seen in the final cut of the film.

The Art Of District 9: Weta Workshop hits store shelves on December 21, 2010.

Click on the image below to see the full gallery.