Movies

'District 9' Sequel Is Finally In The Works, According To Director Neill Blomkamp

district 10
By Hoai-Tran Bui

Ever since District 9 hit theaters in 2009 and marked the arrival of a promising new director, Neill Blomkamp has entertained the idea of making a sequel, alluding over the years to ideas he had for the project regularly — but not officially — referred to as District 10. But the timing was never right, and most rumblings about a possible District 10 died down a few years ago. But Blomkamp gave a surprise update on the long-awaited District 9 sequel, revealing that he and writing partners Sharlto Copley and Terri Tatchell are in the process of writing a District 10 screenplay.

Blomkamp announced in a tweet Friday that a District 10 screenplay is now in the works from him and the rest of the original District 9 team.

"District 10 screenplay also being written by [Sharlto Copley], [Terri Tatchell], and I. It's [sic] coming..." Blomkamp wrote.

When District 9 debuted in theaters in 2009, it was a sensation. A unique marriage of faux-documentary with sci-fi blockbuster sensibilities, it launched Blomkamp into the stratosphere and grossed $211 million worldwide, the largest-ever total for a South African film. District 9 would go on to receive four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay for Blomkamp and Tatchell. While Blomkamp's later releases would fail to generate as much critical adulation, interest in a District 9 sequel always remained high, especially with Blomkamp emerging every now and then to tease ideas he had for District 10.

The last time Blomkamp spoke about his intention to make District 10 was in 2015, teasing his idea for a story that would pick up from the film's ambiguous ending. But in a 2017 Reddit AMA, he explained why the project had apparently come to a halt, though he still left the door open for it to start up again.

"Ok, so with District 10 the basic answer is yes," he replied to the AMA's most upvoted question. "I want to go back to that world and tell rest of the story with Wikus and Christopher. The issue right now is that I have many other projects and ideas that I also want to work on and complete.....and most importantly, the exact right REASON to make District 10 needs be very clear. The first film was based so explicitly on real themes and topics from South Africa that effected [sic] me greatly growing up there, that we need to make sure the next film does not forget that."

Blomkamp has been one of those filmmakers who used the coronavirus downtime to his advantage, shooting a horror film over the summer in British Columbia, Canada, when his sci-fi thriller Inferno was halted by the pandemic. Now he's apparently gotten started on the long-awaited District 10, though there are no indications yet on where the story will go or what it will involve. Stay tuned.

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