After years of discussing the project, Neill Blomkamp is officially developing a District 9 sequel, aka. District 10.Blomkamp announced the news on his Twitter account, saying "District 10 screenplay also being written by [Sharlto Copley] and [Terri Tatchell] and I. [It's] coming..." While this is the first time Blomkamp has confirmed he's actively developing District 10, he's long expressed a desire to make another film set in the District 9 universe and has teased the idea on numerous occasions.
Released in 2009, District 9 is a feature-length adaptation of Blomkamp's 2006 short film Alive in Joburg. The movie takes place in an alternate universe where giant insect-like extraterrestrials, derogatorily referred to as "Prawns" by humans, landed in South African city of Johannesburg in the 1980s and were subsequently confined to an interment camp known as District 9. Sharlto Copley starred in the film as Wikus van de Merwe, a bumbling bureaucrat for Multinational United (MNU) -- the weapons manufacturer responsible for relocating the aliens -- who is accidentally exposed to a substance that gradually transforms him into one of the "Prawns".
District 9 was a success across the board, grossing $210.8 million on a $30 million budget and earning critical acclaim for its unique blend of faux-documentary filmmaking, sci-fi social commentary, body horror and bloody action/violence. The movie went on to land four Oscar nods, including nominations for Best Picture and the script by Blomkamp and his writing partner/wife Terri Tatchell.
Blomkamp followed District 9 with the original sci-fi action/thrillers Elysium and CHAPPiE in 2013 and 2015, respectively. However, both films saw mixed success compared to his breakout hit. Blomkamp was later attached to direct new movies in the Alien and RoboCop franchises but neither project ended up happening. He has since focused on developing experimental short films since establishing his production company, Oats Studios, in 2017. His short movies include 2017's Rakka, which revolves around a futuristic alien invasion and features his CHAPPiE star Sigourney Weaver.
More recently, Blomkamp quietly filmed a supernatural horror movie in British Columbia amidst the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with Chris William Martin (The Vampire Diaries) and Andrea Agur (Chained) starring. The project was financed by AGC Studios and is expected to wrap post-production this spring. It is reportedly titled Demonic but has yet to receive an official theatrical release date.
Source: Twitter