Despite being a filthy South African, Neill Blomkamp previously directed District 9, which started as a short film that impressed Peter Jackson so much that Jackson hired him to make a Halo movie. That fell through, and they made a full-length District 9 instead, which turned out to be one of the most fun sci-fi movies in years. That scene where Sharlto Copley is blubbering like a pathetic sad sack while shoveling cat food into his mouth is one of the all-time great images.

Blomkamp returns in March 2013 with Elysium, the first image of which just hit today.

In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), a hard line government official will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Matt Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.
Along with the names already mentioned, the film co-stars Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Alice Braga and Diego Luna and is set to be released in theaters on March 1, 2013. [RopeofSilicon]

I like that District 9 sort of started with an allegory and turned into a shaggy-dog story, as I tend to prefer gleeful absurdity to pregnant symbolism. It’s hard to judge this new one from a single image, but the combination of Neill Blomkamp and a giant future gun alone was enough to send blood to my boner. Matt Damon’s cool too, I guess. I mean, he’s no Ben Affleck, but he’s aaaaiight.