Is District 10 Finally On The Way?
Could we finally be getting District 10, the long-awaited sequel to District 9? It's sure starting to look that way.
When Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 hit cinemas in 2009 it became an instant science fiction classic. Blomkamp’s blending of visual styles via found footage and standard action set pieces, combined with a stark socio-political message and a cliffhanger ending has had fans pondering whether a sequel will ever be made. According to Movieweb, District 10 could finally be on the way to the silver screen in the near future.
Movieweb grabbed the scoop via an interview District 9 star Sharlto Copley had on the Post Credit Podcast. The actor discussed his new role in Beast – where he stars alongside Idris Elba fighting against a deadly man-hunting Lion in South Africa – and Copley also discussed the potential of District 10. For fans of the original movie, it is good news, Copley and District 9 director Neill Blomkamp are indeed working on a script.
The actor said, “Yeah, man, we’ve been working. I did a draft, I sent it back to him. He’s done a draft. It’s like just tiring to find the right sort of story. There were some things going on socio-politically that he [director Neill Blomkamp] felt maybe timing-wise he didn’t want to go immediately. So maybe in like a year, year-and-a-half [we’ll begin filming]. He wants to have something to say.”
So, the good news is that District 10 will be made, the bad news is it looks as if filming won’t begin for another 18 months which means the film’s release in cinemas won’t be for at least another two years, maybe even more. However, Copley insisted the timing of the story must be right for it to have something to say about wider culture, so hopefully, the prolonged wait for a District 9 sequel will be worth it.
District 9 is set in Johannesburg and the story begins in 1982 when a large Alien ship arrives and hovers over the city, its inhabitants seeking refuge. The local authorities’ response is to segregate the aliens into an area known as District 9 and the story jumps 30 years forward to reveal that the aliens are still segregated, as well as being mistreated and exploited for their technology. Sharlto Copley plays a field agent for Multi-National United, the company that manages/exploits the aliens, but he contracts a virus that alters his DNA and by the film’s end he has fully transformed into a member of the alien species. The film was praised for its use of found footage style as well as its social commentary on segregation. It received four Oscar nominations.
Given the importance of the theme in District 9, where could District 10 take Neill Blomkamp’s story? According to IGN, Blomkamp has stated District 10 will focus on a facet of American History this time around, as opposed to the apartheid allegory evident in District 9. Looper believes that District 10 will be a far bleaker affair than its predecessor, recalling that District 10 is referred to as an even more segregated, interment-style area than the ghetto-inspired locale of District 9.
Neill Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley have definitely had plenty of time to think about the precise message and direction that District 10 will take to ensure it is a story worth telling. Given that Blomkamp’s films have failed to reach the acclaim of District 9 in years gone by, fans will be hopeful that District 10 can live up to the hype.
