It’s 2154, and the Occupy movement has essentially taken over the entire planet. Before you go thinking that’s a good thing though realize that it only happened because the 1% has left Earth to live in luxury aboard a space station designed solely for the elite. One man (Matt Damon) with nothing to lose has something to say about the arrangement. Writer/director Neill Blomkamp burst onto the scene with District 9 four years ago, and it’s finally time to unveil his follow-up. Elysium treads initially familiar ground with it’s mix of science fiction, action and heavy social commentary, but any worries that Blomkamp is being lazy with his second film are about to be smashed. The new trailer below shows all you need to know about the story alongside some spectacular effects, thrilling set-pieces and glimpses of the bad guys (Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley). Enjoy.

Director Neill Blomkamp has, thankfully enough, not kicked any of his thematic interests while making the transition to his sophomore effort. The District 9 helmer returns to theaters later this summer with his Matt Damon-starring Elysium, another sci-fi epic that deals with the inherent evils of rigid class division and the true measure of a man modified by technology far beyond his control. Put simply – if you were into District 9, you’re going to be into Elysium.

One of the more anticipated films hitting theaters next year is Neill Blomkamp‘s Elysium. The sci-fi epic is the director’s long-awaited (well, since 2009 anyway) follow-up to his breakout hit District 9, and it follows a similar path melding action, science fiction and social commentary. It stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, Diego Luna, Talisa Soto and Sharlto Copley. He played the hero in District 9, but Copley’s turn here is of a far darker flavor. Empire Online has just debuted the first glimpse above of Copley in full bad guy gear, and he’s nigh unrecognizable. Elysium is set in the year 2159, and pits the oppressed people of the ruined planet Earth against the privileged elite aboard the Elysium space station. Matt Damon is ex-convict man-on-a-mission Max, fighting with the Terrans for equality, and Jodie Foster is the dastardly government official intent on enforcing anti-immigration laws and keeping Elysium for the Elysians; Kruger is her relentless attack dog.” Elysium invades theaters August 9th, 2013.

While discussing his new film Promised Land and how boring he is, Matt Damon told Playboy (don’t click if you dislike looking at a lot of butts) about the experience of filming in a massive trash dump for Elysium and got humble about the roles he missed out on. “Having to say no to Avatar was tough because I particularly wanted to work with James Cameron, and still do, because he’s fantastic,” Damon said. “He knew he was the star of that movie and that everyone was going to go see it anyway. When he said, ‘Look, I’m offering it to you, but if you say no, the movie doesn’t need you,’ I remember thinking, Oh God, not only do I have to say no because of scheduling, but he’s going to make a star out of some guy who’s going to start taking jobs from me later.” Damon also talked about missing out on Milk and Brokeback Mountain, but ultimately concluding that Josh Brolin and Heath Ledger were the right actors for the parts because of how stellar they portrayed their respective characters.

When you venture into the multiplexes anymore, one thing becomes abundantly clear: the suits are firmly in control of Hollywood. Sure, movies have been a business since practically the dawn of the medium, but lately the corporate and marketing stranglehold is so tight that the cold plastic from the action figures and the wax from the fast food drink cups can be tasted in the air by the time the first reel gets moving. So with this near insurmountable obstacle of commercial influence, any time an intelligent, well-crafted genre film sneaks through the board rooms and the  farcical focus groups is a victory for geeks like us.

The flames are hot here in development hell, and there’s way too much cocaine. Way, way too much. So why wouldn’t we come back? When we first examined 8 Promised Movies That Still Haven’t Been Made, it was an exploration of the complex world of filmmaking where the smallest issue can derail an entire project potentially worth millions. Nervous executives, scheduling conflicts, hangnails. Getting a movie made is a miracle, and even those that get hailed in the press as moving forward are sometimes abandoned. Considering our national grand obsession with hypotheticals, here are 8 more movies we were told would happen that haven’t (including some that won’t).

It’s always difficult to figure out how a studio will factor into the filmmaking process, but considering how well the partnership between Sony and Neill Blomkamp for District 9 turned out, this seems like a match made in Joburg. According to Deadline Rustenburg, Sony will distribute Blomkamp’s forthcoming film Elysium – starring Matth Damon and Jodie Foster – to the entire planet. It’s a huge science- fiction endeavor that just recently got Blade Runner and Tron effects legend Syd Mead to sign on as well. The production is shooting for a late 2012 release. On top of that, Media Rights Capital has worked out a deal with Blomkamp for another movie, called Cappie (an original script), which will begin pre-production as soon as he’s done with Elysium. We’ll be keeping an eye out for plot details on it as they come out. Busy, busy, busy. Just the way fans like it. Sadly, the collateral damage here is that District 10 may never exist or it might be until 2014 before we get a chance to see it.

What is Movie News After Dark? This is a question that I am almost never asked, but I will answer it for you anyway. Movie News After Dark is FSR’s newest late-night secretion, a column dedicated to all of the news stories that slip past our daytime editorial staff and make it into my curiously chubby RSS ‘flagged’ box. It will (but is not guaranteed to) include relevant movie news, links to insightful commentary and other film-related shenanigans. I may also throw in a link to something TV-related here or there. It will also serve as my place of record for being both charming and sharp-witted, but most likely I will be neither of the two. I write this shit late at night, what do you expect?

As we all know, Elysium was the section of the underworld reserved for the heroes and ethically near-perfect. What that has to do with Neill Blomkamp’s latest science fiction outing, Elysium, is anyone’s guess, but now the film has 100% more Jodie Foster in it. She’ll be working alongside Blomkamp’s go-to for District 9 Sharlto Copley and Matt Damon (how dya like them apples?). Plus, Blomkamp has described the film before as being “very violent” which is something to look forward to. Hopefully no one steals Foster’s child and makes her angry. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. [Deadline Muncy]

Jon Favreau announced today that he won’t be returning for Iron Man 3 which seems just as well. Iron Man 2 was a mixed bag, and Favreau already seems to be moving onto the next stage of his career with Cowboys & Aliens. Unfortunately, the man leaves a large director’s chair to be filled – a chair that comes with a lot of expectations and responsibilities alongside what must be a cave-full of fun to be had playing around with Tony Stark. There’s no secret formula for choosing the right director for a project, especially when its the third in a series. We here at FSR wouldn’t recommend Brett Ratner or Joel Schumacher based on past performance in taking over franchises on the third film, but finding names that actually make sense is a little more challenging. We’ve done our best to come up with at least six individuals that would be up to the task in one way or the other (or because we’re infinitely interested in seeing what triumph or train wreck they would come up with). Without further ado, go ahead and read our list of six directors that should take over Iron Man 3 so you can get started on violently explaining why we’re wrong.

We don’t make a habit of covering unofficial casting announcements because they invariably end up changing shortly thereafter, but we make exceptions when the talent involved make us tingle. Such is the case with this latest bit of news involving Matt Damon and District 9 director, Neill Blomkamp. Deadline Pogo is reporting that Damon is in negotiations to star in Blomkamp’s upcoming film Elysium. Sharlto Copley has previously been announced to star in the science fiction film that has so far seen plot details kept under wraps. Copley of course starred in Blomkamp’s surprise hit debut as well as The A-Team. If it happens this would only be Damon’s second foray into live action science fiction. This March sees the release of The Adjustment Bureau co-starring Emily Blunt. The film is based on a Philip K. Dick story, and while it’s been delayed already more than once it remains one we’re very much looking forward to. Here’s hoping these two talents can converge to make something even more exciting and thought provoking than District 9.

Just last night on a whiskey-bent episode of Reject Radio, I was re-lamenting that Neill Blomkamp hadn’t gotten back on the directing horse again despite the serious acclaim of District 9 and the hot iron that was inevitably cooling. Fortunately, he’s struck, and is currently taking meetings to find a distributor for Elysium. He’s already got a star in Sharlto Copley who has done the hard work of regenerating a human arm. Beyond the familiar pairing, Blomkamp is tackling the subject of aliens again, although this time it’s in the far future on a planet other than Earth. The political commentary is also promised to make a return. It’s good to know that the director is working on fresh material, sticking in the sci-fi world, and using his popularity (and box office results) before it wanes. Hopefully the days of intelligent, action-filled science fiction are here to stay. [Deadline Daytona]

What a relief. Only days ago I wrote a (somewhat) nasty little piece about why Neill Blomkamp should keep more than a ten-foot pole between himself and The Hobbit. And now it appears as if all the anxiety was for not. It’s now being reported that the District 9 director will not be taking a four year trip to the Shire. Consider this writer relieved.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who saw District 9, but Neill Blomkamp is a good director. Critics know this, fans know this, and the film’s producer Peter Jackson knows it as well. Jackson knows it so well that he’s apparently begun looking intently at Blomkamp to take over directorial duties on The Hobbit, a seat recently (and not shockingly) vacated by Guillermo Del Toro.

As I’m sure we all know by now, fan favorite director Guillermo del Toro has vacated the position as director of The Hobbit. That leaves the production with a big hole to fill. Which leaves us with plenty of room for idle speculation, guessing and (hopefully) something that seems like a logical path for the future of The Hobbit.

According to Frank O’Connor, former content editor for Bungie Studios and current creative director for Microsoft’s 343 Industries, a Halo film is still only a matter of the time being right.

Read as we break down the films nominated for Best Picture and what their chances are of taking home the prize. We’re pretty sure it won’t be Crash.

It’s Academy Awards time again, and even though we all know the awards are basically an irrelevant exercise in mutual masturbation it’s still fun to watch. This year sees a wide variety of films gain entry into Oscar history via nominations for Best Screenplay, Original and Adapted. Some deserve the honor, while others are based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire.

Childlike excitement, courtesy of Sony Picture Home Entertainment. That is the best way to describe my unboxing and first impressions of District 9 on Blu-ray. For the long-form description, click on through…

This one goes out to those of you who are clamoring for a sequel to this year’s sci-fi surprise District 9.