District 9 director says sequel is coming in "the near future"

District 9
(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp has provided another update on his sequel to the sci-fi movie – and it's getting closer.

"I am still working on it," Blomkamp told Dexerto. "The answer is it's within the near future." 

District 9, released in 2009, was Blomkamp's debut feature film. Set in an alternate version of Johannesburg, South Africa, the movie centers around a group of aliens confined to an internment camp by the South African government. When the aliens are relocated to another camp, one of them crosses paths with Wikus Van De Merwe, one of the government officials leading the process, and Wikus eventually starts to turn into an alien himself. 

Produced by Peter Jackson, the movie stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James and it was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

"It took a decade to figure out, to come up with a reason why to make that film as opposed to just make a sequel," Blomkamp told IGN last year. "There was a topic in American history that the second I realized that that fit into the world of District 9, it felt like an awesome way to do a sequel."

In between District 9 and 10, Blomkamp has directed the dystopian sci-fi movies Elysium and Chappie, as well as the supernatural horror film Demonic. He's also working on a sci-fi thriller titled Inferno, but that movie doesn't have a release date yet.  

While we wait for District 10 to arrive on the big screen, check out our guide to this year's movie release dates.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

Read more
Angus Neill in the 28 Years Later trailer
28 Years Later director Danny Boyle says the horror sequel takes a "wholly different approach" as he also reacts to fans thinking that zombie was Cillian Murphy
Will Smith in I Am Legend
18 years after I Am Legend was released, Will Smith has an update on working with Michael B. Jordan for the upcoming sequel
Isabela Merced as Kay in Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus director says he wants to "go into uncharted waters" with Ridley Scott's franchise and take it "to a place we've never been before"
Bong Joon Ho at the 2020 Oscars
Parasite director's next live-action film is reportedly a horror action movie set on the subway that he's been thinking about for 24 years
28 Years Later trailer
28 Years Later gets a creepy first trailer as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer survive a zombie apocalypse
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, Dune Part 2.
Denis Villeneuve is making Dune 3 next instead of another planned project because he felt the "appetite" from fans and "a responsibility to finish the story"
Latest in Sci-Fi Movies
Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
"Give him both": Legendary director thinks Robert Pattinson should win two Oscars for his dual performances in new sci-fi movie Mickey 17
Werner Herzog in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans are sharing their favorite unbelievable canon cameos – and some of them are seriously deep-cut
Kathleen Kennedy standing with a bunch of Stormtroopers
Star Wars' Kathleen Kennedy debunks retirement reports, as she shares plans for the future of Lucasfilm: "I will die making movies"
Star Wars
Two of Star Wars' biggest no-show movies get updates – but they're not completely promising
Mando and Grogu in The Mandalorian
The Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars movie from Deadpool and Wolverine director is set "five or six years" after The Rise of Skywalker
The Bridges of Madison County
The 32 most heartbreaking movie moments
Latest in News
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age actor says the last time he played Inquisition, he upheld the RPG tradition led by Baldur's Gate 3 actors and romanced his own character: "Which is the best — the best"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom promises "this is just the start for the next generation of Monster Hunter" as Wilds shatters sales milestones: "The Guild authorizes this celebration!"
Lester sitting at a computer in some artwork for GTA Online
Some GTA 5 players can't bring their characters to the new PC upgrade, and the open-world game's mixed Steam reviews are hammering FPS caps and a lack of text chat
Kamala Khan holds Jean Grey's body in an homage to the cover of Uncanny X-Men #136
45 years after the original Dark Phoenix Saga, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan will travel back in time to save X-Men history
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows is the first game in the series with "a fully customizable sandbox" as your base, which is where Yasuke and Naoe hang out and pet baby animals
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot of spider boss Nerscylla
Monster Hunter Wilds takes an infamously rare and annoying material from the old games and absolutely buries you in it – and also buries you in tiny spiders