Neill Blomkamp heading to ‘Elysium’

It worked once before, so why not try again? This is the thinking behind writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s next sci-fi feature project, Elysium. With District 9, Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson adapted themes from the director’s short Alive in Joburg and hired long-time friend Sharlto Copley to star. Now Deadline is reporting that Blomkamp and financier Media Rights Capital have casted Copley to headline Elysium and are using a graphic novel to shop the project around to studios. No word on whether this film has anything to do with the creepy viral video Blomkamp released throught the October iPad edition of Wired Magazine, which featured an unidentifiable pig/lizard creature found dead in a roadside puddle with “18.12 AGM Heartland Pat. Pend. USA” tattooed on it’s side.

Gist: Few details of Elysium’s plot have been released, but Deadline’s Nikki Finke reports it’s “a story set in the far future on another planet and, like District 9, is filled with many sociopolitical ideas wrapped up inside a Hollywood action film.”

Worth Noting: This is not the sequel to District 9. However, like that film, Blomkamp and MRC may employ the same tactics. D9’s $30 million budget was underwritten by QED International then sold at the 2007 American Film Market. It’s unique, original content, unknown cast and “Humans Only” marketing campaign lead to $210 million in box office earnings and four Oscar nominations.

Do We Care?: Yes. Despite District 9’s disappointing third act, Blomkamp proved he can seamlessly meld strong character narratives with creative science fiction and solid visual special effects. Elysium will be a highly anticipated follow-up.