The Overview of District 9: Successful Science Fiction Blockbuster

In the year 2009, District 9 was one of the best things that we saw on television. It is a science fiction action film that had the input of Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchellas as writers, Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham who both worked on its production while Neill Blomkamp directed the film. At the Box office, District 9 was a huge success, with a budget of $30 million the film made $210.8 million which represents a profit margin 7 times its production cost. Seeing how successful it turned out to be and also how the film ended, it was only natural for fans of the sci-fi action film to expect a sequel to District 9. However, August 2019 marked 10 years after District 9 was released and a much-expected sequel to one of 2009's biggest cinema hits is yet to be seen. Some of the questions that are always asked whenever and wherever a discussion about District 9 is involved are whether or not there will be a sequel of the film and what it is going to be like. To provide answers to these questions, we went on a fact-finding mission and have presented all we know below.

Before we tell you what we found out on whether there will be a sequel to District 9 or not, let's refresh our memories on the storyline of the film and how it ended. This will ultimately help us have a better perspective on what to expect or not about a sequel to District 9. The plot of the film had it that in the year 1982, a giant extraterrestrial spaceship arrived and hovered above Johannesburg, a city in South Africa. Onboard the ship were over a million malnourished aliens. These aliens were called Prawns. The South African government relocated them to an area designated as District 9. However, over time, the Prawns turned District 9 into a slum which irked locals (humans living in Johannesburg) who complained bitterly that the Prawns are filthy, lawbreakers and are straining the city of vital basic resources.

Due to these complaints, the South African government in 2010 decided to relocate the Prawns to a new settlement outside the city center. To do this, they hired the services of Multinational United (MNU), a huge weapons manufacturer which has Piet Smit (played Louis Minnaar) as its executive. Piet appointed Wikus van de Merwe, his son-in-law (played by Sharlto Copley) to see to the relocation. While carrying out this duty, Wikus accidentally got infected when he sprayed alien fuel on his face. He began to mutate into an alien and was thereafter taken to the MNU lab for diagnosis.

The events that played out in the lab had him fight and escape from the MNU. He took sides with an Alien named Christopher in whose shack he originally got infected. This was because his only hopes of getting healed were in the hands of Christopher. At such, Wikus became an enemy of the state as he fought to help Christopher escape to the mother ship to do what he needs and get him healed. According to Christopher, it will take 3 years after he had traveled before he can return with a cure because of the limited supply of alien fuel.

Seeing how the story ended, it is apparent that a sequel to District 9 will conclude the thrilling storyline if not begin another one. Actually, a few weeks before District 9 was released to cinemas, Neil was of the opinion that if the film turned out successful, he would love to work on its sequel. A few years after (in 2013) District 9 was released, he disclosed in an interview with IGN that he really wants to make a sequel to District 9 which will possibly be entitled district 10. However, a couple of years have since then passed again and there are no words yet about District 10. Fans are however still hopeful.

Everything Else We Know So Far

There is a saying that 'good things come to those who wait.' If this is to be the case with District 9's sequel, we have obviously waited long enough to see the best. In this regard, nothing short of the thrill, suspense, and action we were delighted with in the first installment is expected in a possible second. But before this becomes a reality, here are a couple of other facts we should have at the back of our minds.

After District 9 was released in 2009, Neill Blomkamp has not been idle. He has written and produced feature films like Elysium (2013), Chappie (2015); short films like The Escape (2016) and Rakka (2017). These projects account for some of the reasons Blomkamp is yet to settle down and give attention to a sequel of District 9. He has been quite busy.

While a sequel of District 9 is something we are all looking up to Blomkamp to give us, it is important to bear in mind that the film wasn't originally written to be a franchise. Thus, developing it into what it wasn't originally made to be demands absolute attention. The director also disclosed that he wouldn't want District 10 to deviate from the original story that inspired District 9. The storyline of the film was drawn from issues and themes that shaped his life while growing up in South Africa.