Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium may have received lukewarm reviews from critics and its box office performance this past weekend wasn’t ideal (even if it did end up on top), but even with a mixed reception, Elysium is proof of one indisputable fact: Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley are a perfect pair. Copley’s performances have been far and away the best aspects of both Elysium and their previous collaboration, District 9.
Sony and MRC must feel the same way, because the two studios are joining forces to finance the next Blomkamp/Copley team-up. Titled Chappie, the pic will be a comedy, showcasing a lighter side of science fiction where (presumably) fewer people will be liquified by futuristic explosives. Along with the film’s studio backing, an official synopsis for Chappie has also been released: “Chappie tells the story of a robot imbued with artificial intelligence who is stolen by two local gangsters who want to use him for their own nefarious purposes.”
Copley will voice the titular robot, while Ninja and Yolandi Visser will also star. Two members of the rap-rave group Die Antwoord will be playing the robot-thieving gangsters.
Blomkamp is extremely talented when it comes to making futuristic fight scenes and loading them down with graphic violence, so seeing him step away from his wheelhouse is both exciting and a little disappointing. District 9 had a few touches of black humor (even if Elysium did not), so it’s likely that Chappie will still bear a resemblance to his previous work. I’m guessing it’ll also be pretty entertaining, too. At the bare minimum it’ll have a Sharlto Copley robot, which is something society has needed for a long, long time.
Chappie will begin production this fall. [Collider]
