Neill Blomkamp Explains Why He’s Waiting To Make ‘District 10’

Thanks to his debut feature film District 9, Neill Blomkamp proved to be one of the most exciting new sci-fi directors in the game, as evidenced by his blend of compelling visuals and political themes. After a variety of different projects, fans still can’t help but wonder when they’ll get to see a sequel to that film, with Blomkamp recently revealing during a Reddit AMA how he’s still very much interested in the project, but wants to pursue it for the right reasons.

The filmmaker was inundated with a variety of questions about a District 9 follow-up, causing him to attempt to answer all of them with one long response.

“Ok, so with District 10 the basic answer is yes,” the director confirmed. “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.”

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Blomkamp has had one of the more interesting careers in the world of science fiction of the last decade, which has been full of both highs and lows.

The director got his start working on short films to promote Halo 3, which proved his skills and familiarity with the subject matter strongly enough that Peter Jackson tapped him to direct the feature-length adaptation. When that project fell apart, Jackson offered Blomkamp the opportunity to bring to life one of his original short films, which went on to become District 9.

His next film, Elysium, incorporated many elements that he conceived for Halo, but didn’t earn the same critical success as District 9. Blomkamp’s next film, Chappie, drew some serious star power but was yet another critical and financial disappointment for the director.

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The experience of Chappie wasn’t an entirely negative one, as it sparked a working relationship between Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver, with the two discussing the idea of the director making a new Alien film that starred Weaver’s Ripley. For as exciting as these concepts were, with Blomkamp sharing his ideas on social media, the project has been reportedly killed by 20th Century Fox, adding another disappointment to the director’s legacy.

Blomkamp recently launched Oats Studio, a showcase for short films that continue to push the envelope in daring ways in the world of science fiction.