We’ve known very little about director Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to 2009’s District 9, the sci-fi pic Elysium, until recently.  The only images we’ve seen are a few set photos of a bald Matt Damon wearing some device on his chest from last year, but now the first official image of Damon in the film has landed online.  Just as District 9 tackled issues of segregation and xenophobia, the first synopsis for Elysium reveals that the sci-fi, future-set story will be delving into the immigration debate.  Set in 2159, two classes of people are roughly divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.I have no clue as to what this gun and Damon’s garb could be hinting at plotwise, but with the first footage set to be unveiled next week at Comic-Con we’ll hopefully have a much clearer picture of what to expect from Elysium soon.  The film also stars Jodi Foster, Sharlto Copley, William Fichtner and Diego Luna, and opens on March 1st, 2013.Here’s the synopsis for Elysium:

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.

Image courtesy of EW (via The Playlist):