In 2009, District 9 became the surprise hit movie of the year.
On a budget of just $30 million, the movie went on to make $210 million at the worldwide
box office and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
Although it didn't win any Oscars, District 9's breakout success was an impressive feat
for an indie sci-fi film out of South Africa with a first-time writer/director that featured
no movie stars.
So why wasn't a sequel to District 9 ever made?
Here's why.
A standalone story
According to District 9 mastermind Neill Blomkamp, he wasn't even thinking about making a sequel
while writing, directing, and editing the film.
Since Blomkamp was only planning on making a standalone film, he didn't set up the overall
story arc was for a sequel or a franchise.
It was only after the film was edited that Blomkamp realized there was room for a sequel,
but he still had no idea where that sequel would go.
He also toyed around with making a prequel instead.
Blomkamp told Hero Complex in 2010:
"I'm not so interested in aliens coming back and blowing things up but [a prequel] might
be interesting."
Obviously that idea never left the ground either, and it wasn't until 2015 that Blomkamp
said that he had a "really cool idea" for a District 9 sequel.
Does that mean that a sequel is finally on the way?
At the moment, it doesn't look likely.
Original films
In a perfect world, production on a District 9 sequel would have started shortly after
the first one was released.
However, without an idea for the sequel, Blomkamp instead used the success of District 9 to
get another original sci-fi film into production within months of District 9's release.
That movie was Elysium, which he worked on until late 2012.
While shooting Elysium, Blomkamp and his wife/co-screenwriter, Terri Tatchell, wrote the script for Chappie
in two weeks, and after Elysium wrapped, they immediately started working on that.
Production on that movie lasted into 2014, and it was released in theaters in February
2015.
So yeah, those movies kept Blomkamp pretty busy post-District 9.
Blomkamp told Rolling Stone that if he were to do the sequel properly, it would take three
years to make.
That's a big time commitment, all while the movie that set it all off recedes into fans'
memories...
Other projects
Chappie was released in May 2015, and although there hasn't been much news about the director
since then, Blomkamp has definitely been busy.
In April 2017, Blomkamp revealed on Twitter that he would be making "experimental" short
films for the video game platform, Steam.
That's a big change from big-budget sci-fi flicks, although at this point in his career
it's certainly less risky than taking a chance on a sequel to District 9.
Blomkamp was also briefly attached to direct a fifth entry in the Alien series, going so
far as to release tantalizing unofficial concept art on Instagram, but unfortunately, that
project probably isn't happening.
In January 2017, Blomkamp tweeted the awful truth: the chances of his Alien movie ever
moving forward are "slim," echoing an earlier tweet that the movie was set aside pending
the success or failure of Alien: Covenant.
That doesn't mean that Blomkamp's blockbuster days are over.
After all, this wouldn't be the first time Blomkamp has bounced back after being sidelined
on a high-profile film project.
Originally, Blomkamp was picked by Peter Jackson to direct a movie based on the Halo video
game franchise.
When Halo fell through, Jackson agreed to produce District 9 based on Blomkamp's 2006
short film "Alive in Joberg."
In other words, the fact that Blomkamp hasn't made a movie for several years now doesn't
mean that a District 9 sequel will never happen...although it seems to be getting less and less likely.
Sharlto Copley is busy, too
Although he looks different at the end of the film, Sharlto Copley is the face of District
9.
In his breakout role as the delightfully clueless bureaucrat, the South African actor wowed
international audiences and launched his Hollywood career.
"But I don't trust it.
I don't trust anything tha-...
Pwwwwww!"
"You alright mate?"
"Vickers, you alright?"
"Cut it!"
After Chappie, Copley's third collaboration with Neill Blomkamp, the actor went on to
star in the Playstation series Powers and the action thriller Free Fire.
As busy as he is, though, Copley has made it clear that he'd gladly reprise his role
if a District 9 sequel ever materialized.
Too hard to follow up?
District 9 ended on a cliffhanger, and the universe of the film is rich with themes and
storylines to explore.
Copley wants to do a sequel, and the movie was a huge success for Peter Jackson's production
company.
In Hollywood, that combination usually adds up to a guaranteed sequel.
And yet the furthest in development that the District 9 sequel got was an 18-page treatment.
One reason for that may be because District 9 was too big of a hit.
Its commentary on social segregation, xenophobia, and racism blended perfectly with its sci-fi
aesthetic, all of which helped make it an overwhelming success for the first-time writer/director.
That's a hard act to follow — even when the act you're following is your own.
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