Neill Blomkamp, the South African director who came to prominence in 2009 with “District 9,” has only just released his new film “Elysium,” but already he’s talking up his next one. The folks over at the LA Times have put together various interviews and press releases to give us an idea of what the project, “Chappie,” will be like: and that idea is, basically, ” ‘RoboCop‘ but hilarious.” Tell us more…
“Chappie,” co-scripted by Blomkamp’s wife Terri Tatchell, who also wrote “District 9,” is described by Blomkamp as, “If you mixed ‘RoboCop’ with ‘E.T.‘ and it was… funny, that’s what it is,” which is an irresistibly bizarre pitch, but that’s about all he’s telling us content-wise for the moment. Though he is letting on that it’s not going to be a political flick, unlike “District 9” and “Elysium,” which share numerous dystopian themes.
We also know a little about who’s in it: Sharlto Copley, Blomkamp’s close friend and star of “District 9” (and baddie of “Elysium”), will be voicing Chappie, the titular robot, and the shoot will be returning to South Africa and Johannesburg, a place Blomkamp finds “unbelievably inspirational.” Perhaps the most interesting detail to emerge so far is this, however: the two human leads will be played by Ninja and Yolandi Visser of the cult South African rap group Die Antwoord. Wow.
As for the plot? Well, all that we’re told is the movie will tell the story of two gangsters (Die Antwoord) who steal a robot with artificial intelligence for their own ends. Again, we’re definitely intrigued…
Filming begins next month, though there’s no release date as yet from Sony who recently snapped up the film. In the meantime, “Elysium” is in theatres now.
