Neill Blomkamp Breaks Silence On Giving His Magnum Opus A Sequel
The director shed some light on whether the long-awaited sequel to his debut film, District 9, will ever see the light of day.
It's been more than a decade since Neill Blomkamp delivered his debut masterpiece, District 9, back in 2009.
Unfortunately, the director has never been able to top his own breakout success, as his career has fallen on hard times in recent years, with Chappie (2015) and Demonic (2021) receiving mixed reviews and underperforming at the box office.
Blomkamp's most recent film, Gran Turismo, based on the video game franchise of the same name, may also be a financial failure, despite moderately warm reviews, as its current box office projections leave much to be desired.
Considering all this, a sequel to his magnum opus could be a great way for the filmmaker to redeem himself, and now he has addressed the topic.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Blomkamp said that while he doesn't have any specific plans at the moment, District 10 will "probably get made" down the road.
Fans are split on whether the original even needs a sequel, as even though it had an open ending, many feel that the story was perfect the way it was.
They are not sure if the story of Christopher Johnson (an alien who was one of the main characters in the original) should be touched at all to preserve the mystery of the finale.
After all, District 9 wasn't about aliens (well, not exactly), but rather about how we dehumanize a marginalized group and perceive them as a threat that could eventually replace us.
If another film in the franchise is ever to see the light of day, many fans believe it should be a spin-off, set in the same world and using the same concepts, but with an entirely new, standalone story.
Others aren't even sure if Blomkamp should be trusted with it, because, as mentioned above, his track record hasn't been good lately, with his films ending up being quite disappointing.
This is highly debatable, however, as he has presented some rather fascinating short films on his YouTube channel Oats Studios, proving that Neill still has some pretty intriguing ideas.
Gran Turismo premiered on August 11, 2023 and is currently in theaters.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Reddit