Of all Neill Blomkamp’s films, fans are most eager for sequels to his debut hits, District 9 and Elysium. The good news? The Chappie director shares this excitement and is currently exploring ideas for Elysium 2.
Revisiting Elysium
Over a decade ago, Neil Blomkamp released Elysium, a film that combined the South African filmmaker’s passion for socially aware storytelling with superb action setpieces. The result is a film that looks and feels like District 9 on steroids. And much like District 9, Blomkamp’s fans are still patiently waiting for a sequel.
Last year, Blomkamp worked on Gran Turismo, a video game adaptation (of sorts) that deviates heavily from the filmmaker’s usual work. At the time, Blomkamp spoke with The Wrap, in an interview where he addressed how different Gran Turismo is from the rest of his oeuvre. Curiously enough, Blomkamp remained convinced of one thing: of all his films, he’d like to revisit Elysium the most.
Why We Need An Elysium 2
Blomkamp’s films, beyond their trademarked gritty aesthetic, usually feature themes of social disparity and societal stratification. From District 9 to Chappie, the struggle for equality remains at the forefront of every Neil Blomkamp film. The director is convinced that this narrative is now more prevalent than ever, considering the current state of the world.
As Blomkamp describes it, Elysium “is becoming more and more relevant as time goes on.” Even though we’re still a few years away from 2154, it’s easy to see how some of our everyday realities steadily approach Elysium-levels of dystopia.
Beyond Blomkamp’s position, Elysium leaves some questions unanswered that could drastically affect how fans perceive the film’s moral compass. After all, the movie’s idealistic ending, with Max opening Elysium to all Earth residents, hides the reality that the aftermath of this conclusion could have made things considerably worse for everyone on Earth.
Max Da Costa Might Not Return
In the same interview with The Wrap, Neil Blomkamp mentions that if an Elysium sequel does materialize, he wants to focus his attention on other parts of the film’s world. Still, the titular space station would make its return, and so would the themes of societal disparity and issues with society’s resource allocation.
It’s clear Matt Damon’s Max Da Costa wouldn’t be coming back for a potential sequel. That said, his sacrifice at the end of Elysium would surely play a crucial part in any future instalment in the same universe. Whether he appears as a martyr or a criminal in the eyes of the general public would radically change the plot of a potential Elysium 2.
Mobile Suit Gundam fans might already know what to expect when you have this type of conflict between Earthlings and off-earth humans. The cycle of power never changes, and the same would apply to an Elysium sequel, as the new arrivals on the Elysium space station would quickly establish a new structure of power – which, in turn, will inevitably corrupt itself as time passes.
A sequel could reveal the first movie’s ending, as idealistic as it appears on a surface level, and it could have devolved into a civil war that wiped out most of the precious med bays available at the space station. Sure, it’s a grim outlook, but it would fit in with Blomkamp’s grim vision of society’s decline.
RELATED: EXCLUSIVE Interview: Sharlto Copley Discusses Boy Kills World
As far as we know, Elysium 2 is still a pipe dream. Though the film wasn’t a hit with critics, it performed well at the box office. Now, a decade after the original movie’s release, Elysium remains as timely as ever. Let’s just hope we won’t have to wait until 2154 to see a sequel coming to theatres.
Tell us, would you like an Elysium sequel? Should Neil Blomkamp work on Elysium 2?
Elysium |
|---|
In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds. |
 |
|---|
| Studio: Sony Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Media Rights Capital, QED International, Alphacore, Kinberg Genre |
| Running Time: 109 minutes |
| Release Date: August 9, 2013 |
| Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Adrian Holmes |
| Director: Neill Blomkamp |
| Writers: Neill Blomkamp |
| Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi |
| Box Office: $286.1 million |
