Die Antwoord To Star In Neill Blomkamp’s Sci-Fi Comedy Chappie
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Although Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium has yet to be released, the 33-year-old South African director has already started to work on his follow-up, a sci-fi comedy called Chappie. There is still not much known about the film’s premise or story, but it appears it may have already found its leads.
According to South African newspaper Dieburger.com (English translation: The Civil), Chappie will feature the rap duo Die Antwoord, who are reported to be playing versions of themselves in the film. Neill Blomkamp started working on the project earlier this year, and considering that Elysium was originally supposed to be released last month (Sony pushed the release date to August), it makes sense that he would be anxious to start a new project.
Die Antwoord is a rap duo from South Africa, made up of Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er. While their music (and appearance) may seem odd to some, they are extremely popular in South Africa and have a strong following in the States. With a line in Die Antwoord’s song “Baby’s on Fire” saying, “Neill Blomkamp’s going to make me a movie star,” it’s no surprise that Blomkamp would feature the duo in one of his films.
In 2010, Yo-Landi Vi$$er was reported to be in consideration for the role of Lisbeth Salander for director David Fincher’s The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. He eventually cast Rooney Mara in the role, and later denied the rumors that he had met with Yo-Landi Vi$$er.
As for Chappie, Blomkamp co-wrote the film with his wife and writing-partner Terri Tatchell (District 9), while at the same time writing Elysium on his own. According to Blomkamp, Chappie is “a fundamentally more simple story, a comedy, a heartfelt story, in a science fiction setting. And it’s fucking hilarious, it’s a really cool film.”
Below you can watch the web clip “Is It Dead?” featuring Die Antwoord’s Yo-Landi Vi$$er and shot by Ninja at Neill Blomkamp’s office in Vancouver, Canada.
Also, here’s the (NSFW) music video for Die Antwoord’s “Baby’s on Fire” (skip to 3:56 for the Neill Blomkamp line).
