Here’s Why Neill Blomkamp Won’t Make District 10 Anytime Soon
This article is more than 2 years old
Neill Blomkamp has been a hot topic of conversation lately. His robot drama, Chappie, just opened wide today, and stealing a lot of the spotlight from that release, talk of his upcoming Alien movie has been everywhere (I actually almost feel bad for the guy, he can’t open his mouth about his new movie without being asked about his next one). Both of those things are pretty big, but that’s not even everything, as he’s once again been chatting about a sequel to his debut feature, District 9.
A couple years back, the director revealed that he has an 18-page treatment for District 10. While the idea has been kicking around inside his head for a while, it doesn’t sound like we’re going to see it anytime soon (to be honest, I’m fine if this never happens, I’ve never really felt the need for more), as he’s waiting for the time to be right. Talking to IGN, he says:
I have an idea for District 10, which is really cool. The problem is I feel like Chappie is the end of three films that have a similar stylistic approach to them. ‘Chappie’ is the odd one out in that is has no socio-political underpinnings,” he explained. “It doesn’t have my experiences as a kid in South Africa incorporated into it. And Elysium—although it doesn’t have my experiences as a kid in South Africa, it has the same notion of oppressor in the elites, and the large population base beneath it. And Chappie doesn’t, but they are still part of a trilogy. So moving forward I would love to realize this idea of District 10—I have every intention to do it, I just need to find the right time to do it—to not go back to Johannesburg and shoot something similar, yet.
It’s nice that he’s looking to move on thematically and branch out instead of continually revisiting the same territory time and time again. While Chappie is definitely different than either of his previous films, it does inhabit a similar world and deal with similar concerns. As the Alien universe already has an established tone and feel and aesthetic, perhaps this will be just what Blomkamp needs to wean himself off of his preexisting style.
While we shouldn’t expect to see District 10 right away, Blomkamp does sound rather stoked about the idea. He doesn’t share any specific details about the project, but says, “the story that I have now is what I would want to see as a fan of the first film, I think. I know I would want to see it—I assume other people would. It’s good man!”
Are you game for more adventures in the Districts, or was one enough for you?
