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South African filmmaker Sharlto Copley is best known for producing and starring in the short film Alive in Joburg, which the feature film District 9 was based on. He would also star in the adaptation, playing the role of Wikus. Named after a character on a radio show his mother listened to, Copley dabbled in acting in high school, but later cofounded a media production company. It was there that Copley hired a 16 year old computer-graphics designer named Neill Blomkamp. Over the years the pair developed a fruitful working relationship, and after starring in both Alive in Joberg and District 9, Copley struck out on his own as Howling Mad Murdoch in Joe Carnahan's big-screen take on The A-Team.