Enthused Thursday: Elysium

     After the fallout behind Neill Blomkamp's need to abandon the Halo adaption, he continued on, and made District 9, 2009's sci-fi epic, that doubled as a narrative on immigration. News of his upcoming project has been very hush-hush, but we finally have some tidbits, and I will talk about all the new details, right after the jump.
     Elysium looks to be another sci-fi epic, very similar to that of District 9, although this time around it will touch upon class distinctions, while boasting a rather similar concept as that of Blomkamp's previous film.
     We now have the main story-tease for the new film, and it looks to be a rather interesting one. The film will be set in the futuristic world of 2159, and while many advances have been made, the population of Earth is out of control. The wealthy and privileged live on a man-made, pristine space station called Elysium, which helps to separate those with money and power from the poverty and overpopulation that runs rampant on the face of the Earth. Elysium is of course run by a shifty corporation named Armadyne Corporation, whose motives will likely be suspect. 
     Jodie Foster, who is no newcomer to the sci-fi genre, plays Secretary Rhodes, who blindly supports the separation of these two cultures, enforcing them with unfailing passion. This is an exciting casting choice, and I have no doubt that Foster will settle into the role rather well. There is more mystery surrounding the main protagonist of Max, who attempts to bridge the gap between the lowly Earthlings, and the seemingly out of reach occupants of Elysium. Matt Damon has been cast in this role, and a picture recently revealed gives us a first look at him in the role. Damon has gone bald to play Max, who from the looks of things appears to be a hardened soldier, fighting for equality.
     The first trickles of information on this project have me rather excited, and I look forward to hearing more about the film as it makes it's way to the public. If the blend of political and social commentary comes blends action as well as District 9 did, I think this film could certainly be another great film.