Neill Blomkamp has provided an update on the highly anticipated sequel to District 9.
Released in 2009, District 9 revolved around a refugee camp in Johannesburg, South Africa, where aliens resided in slum-like conditions. It marked Blomkamp’s feature film debut and was a huge success, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
There’s been rumours of a sequel over the years since, but the director only recently confirmed District 10’s existence in February earlier this year. In an exclusive interview with NME, Blomkamp has explained why it’s taken over a decade to get a sequel underway.
“For a decade there never really seemed to be a good reason to make a sequel,” Blomkamp said. “It just didn’t feel like there was a justifiable reason to go back to that world in a way where there was something to actually say.
“All of the experience of my adolescence growing up in South Africa was defined by what District 9 said, and that was the end of it.
“But I saw a documentary about a well-known socio-political topic two years ago and that had a massive effect on me – it made me understand how this sequel could have a real reason for existing. The second that clicked, I just began working.
“It’s far into the writing stage now, and it’s going pretty well, but I’m just super creatively into what we’ve come up with and I just want to throw everything into it.”
Since District 9, Blomkamp has directed various sci-fi films to mixed success, including Elysium starring Matt Damon and Chappie with Dev Patel.
His next project is Demonic, a sci-fi horror film starring Carly Pope and Chris William Martin shot entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film releases in cinemas and on Premium Digital on August 27.
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