Neill Blomkamp Thinks We’ll See a District 9 Sequel

Movies

Neill Blomkamp is confident a return to his sci-fi apartheid allegory will happen, but he doesn’t sound overly enthused about it. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about his new film Gran Turismo, Blomkamp is asked about District 10, the long-rumored follow-up to his Oscar-nominated sci-fi movie District 9 – in which aliens land in South Africa in the 1980s and are segregated and mistreated by the government and society – and he had this to say:

“I don’t know if it’s getting made or not. I don’t know if I even want to make that right now, but at some point down the line, it’ll probably get made.”

He then agreed with the interviewer that the success of Gran Turismo (so far) makes District 10 more likely to be made. Fans have been waiting for District 10 since they saw the ending of District 9, and it’s felt like a mirage for a long time, but seeing Blomkamp direct a mainstream hit has people hopeful again.

District 10 is a sequel I’d like to see; I liked District 9 a lot, and the ending left itself open to a continuation of lead character Wikus’ story. The special effects are fantastic, and they look better with each new Disney movie that throws actors into what look like cartoons. But I also understand why Blomkamp may not be too keen to make a sequel. District 9 came out fourteen years ago; since then, Blomkamp has made two other sci-fi social commentaries, neither of which were as well-received as District 9, as well as a bunch of shorts and Gran Turismo. The entire time, people have been asking about District 10, waiting for him to revisit his past success instead of embracing his new endeavors. I don’t blame him for being sick of hearing about it and not wanting to jump back in, especially now that he’s likely got a springboard that will allow him to get creative and do (almost) anything he wants. Maybe he’d like to stretch himself a bit as an artist and take some risks before going back to the well. And that’s fine; he should take the chance while he’s got, if he indeed has it, before he loses his cachet. But I wouldn’t mind seeing the next phase of Wikus’ evolution – or devolution, as the case may be.