Director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley are clearly quite fond of each other, and it appears that they have no plans to severe their professional relationship anytime soon.  The then-unknown South African actor gave a stellar turn in Blomkamp’s fantastic 2009 sci-fi film District 9 and has a supporting role in the director’s next film, the Matt Damon-fronted Elysium, and now EW confirms that Copley will lead Blomakamp’s next next film, the sci-fi comedy Chappie.  Plot details for Blomkamp’s Elysium follow-up are being kept firmly under wraps, but it’s described as a “science-fiction comedy” that takes place in an unusual setting.

Obviously details regarding Copley’s character are also being kept secret, but we do know that he will play the lead.  The actor most recently wrapped the villain role in Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy and a supporting role opposite Angelina Jolie in Disney’s Maleficent.  Production on Chappie will take place in Johannesburg.

Director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) reports that he’s just about finished up on Elysium and is starting to move forward with his third feature, a sci-fi comedy titled Chappie.  Starring Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Jodie Foster (Contact), Elysium takes place in a dystopian future where the elite of humanity have fled to orbiting space stations while the poor are left to eke out an existence on a ruined Earth.  Look for the film starting August 9th.

In the meantime, Blomkamp is prepping a return to Johannesburg for principal photography on Chappie, which he co-wrote with his wife, Teri Tatchell.  Hit the jump for more on both projects. 

While at Comic-Con to do a big Hall H presentation, Elysium director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) spoke to press about the highly anticipated but very mysterious sci-fi film, for the first time. The filmmaker described it as being “about an orbital space station that has the rich living on it, while Earth is diseased and has been left behind.”

During the interview, Blomkamp talked about the themes he’s addressing in the film, what he thinks the world might really be like so far into the future, working with a bigger budget this time around, and why it’s taken three years for him to get another film out. He also talked about another film that he’s written, which is a sci-fi comedy called Chappie, about a robot character, and how he feels about higher frame rates and 2D versus 3D. Check out what he had to say after the jump. Also, check out our recap of the Comic-Con panel.

With Joss Whedon’s Firefly reunion panel being one of the most well-received Comic-Con events in recent memory, some of the director’s other works may have been overshadowed for a moment.  It takes quite a bit to drown out The Avengers, so a perfect question for Whedon would be to ask about the status of The Avengers 2 and whether or not he’ll be back for the sequel.  More on that after the jump.

Another visionary director in the person of Neill Blomkamp (District 9) was on hand at Comic-Con today to showcase his current project, Elysium.  While we’ll have more on the Matt Damon-starrer in a bit, Blomkamp did comment on his upcoming projects, including a sequel to District 9.  Hit the jump to read more about what’s next from Whedon and Blomkamp and be sure to stay up to date with our continuing Comic-Con coverage here.

There was a point not too long ago when Nell Blomkamp was best known as the director chewed up and spit out by the would-be Halo movie.  One surprise hit later, and Hollywood is clamoring to get into business with the District 9 filmmaker.  Media Rights Capital agreed to finance his next film, Elysium, an original and “unabashedly big” sci-fi project is set in 100 years in the future on another planet that stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley.  Sony acquired the distribution rights yesterday for a reported pricetag of $120 million with plans for a late 2012 release.

Deadline updated their report on the deal with the news that MRC has already greenlit Blomkamp’s next film, Chappie, as part of an overall deal with the director.  The report suggests Chappie will go into production immediately after Elysium wraps.  We barely know anything about Elysium, so obviously the relevant parties aren’t ready to reveal plot details for Chappie.  Well I don’t know about you, but this thing looks like a “Chappie” if I ever saw one.