We finally find out what Neil Blomkamp's ELYSIUM is all about!

I think we can all be in agreement that Neil Blomkamp’s District 9 was a bit of a game changer. It put South Africa – and its local talent – on the international radar better than any movie about Nelson Mandela or Steve Biko had ever done before. And it did it by fusing a really kickass story about aliens and space guns, with a very insightful look at serious socio-political issues.

So you can sort of understand why there is so much anticipation for Blomkamp’s sophomore effort, Elysium. And judging by this newly leaked synopsis, he is once again tackling some touchy social subject matter.

But with some space stuff thrown in, of course.

It would appear that there are some lucky sons of bitches out in Hollywood, as they actually got to watch the movie last night in some kind of super secret screening. I expect a secret handshake and door with a view slot, being guarded by big black men built like gorillas, dressed in suits too small for them, weer involved. Luckily for us though, somebody leaked the invite to Collider, and on it is a rather nice description of what the film is actually about. Which is rather handy seeing as all we knew before that was a release date and that Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley was in it.

Here’s the leaked invite:

And for those of you without Eyes of the HAWK Hawk hawk…

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.

I see there’s no mention of Copley’s role yet, but the impression I was getting was that he would be playing a central character, which means that there is still a lot more about Elysium that we don’t know yet.

And with only 8 and a half months left until release, it’s a testament to how tight a ship Blomkamp’s running that this is the very first snippet of info that we’ve received. Hopefully, now that somebody’s actually seen it, we’ll be hearing some more.

Last Updated: June 15, 2012