‘Elysium’ Interview: Neill Blomkamp’s Team on Creating a New Sci-Fi World
Although 'District 9' highlighted a world that most audiences had never seen – the sociocultural divide in South Africa, writ large as a genre parable -- Neill Blomkamp’s debut film offered them something that was possibly even more unique, and significant: It felt like the first science-fiction movie in a long time that was completely original.
Duncan Jones and Gareth Edwards’ projects, 'Moon' and 'Monsters,' respectively, came soon therafter, but the trio reminded the world – not to mention Hollywood’s money-counters – that it was possible to tell stories that didn’t come from an already-popular book series, toy line or canceled television show. And now, with 'Elysium,' Blomkamp faces the pressure of following through on that promise: working with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster on a big-budget adventure financed by Sony, the filmmaker must demonstrate that his first film was not a fluke, but the future of genre filmmaking.