Watch: Chappie, A Robot Movie With District 9, Die Antwoord On Mix
Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9 and Elysium, is about to release a movie that'll throw you for a true loop. Inside this film you'll find Hugh Jackman, the voice of Sigourney Weaver, Dev Patel (from The Newsroom and Slumdog Millionaire), and Sharlto Copley – whom you'll recognize from District 9 as the main character, Wikus Van De Merwe. Chappie also features the two characters that bring Die Antwoord to life: Yo-Landi Visser and Ninja, Africa natives and musical personalities absolutely and completely without equal.
What's especially strange about this movie – beyond the obvious strangeness of a robot learning to live – is Die Antwoord appearing as Die Antwoord. Writers Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell have opted to include Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er as themselves, effectively.
Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er are, of course, characters in and of themselves. Their "real" names are Anri du Toit and Watkin Tudor Jones, writers, rappers, and producers for several groups together and apart over the past couple of decades.
FUN FACT: The word "Chappie" is Afrikaans. It essentially means "boy", "fellow", or "friend." It's analogous to "buddy," or "pal."
Over the past few years they've created and blown up with Die Antwoord, finding relative fame around the world with their Afrikaans slum gangster personalities.
Now you've got Chappie. Without Ninja and Yo-Landi you might've had another film that centers on a robot learning to be self-aware followed by a Frankenstein's Monster situation. Plain jane.
Instead, Chappie is the story about a robot new to the world that's been kidnapped by two outlaws. Watch yourself.
Check the paint all along Chappie's exterior once he's been given the Antwoord treatment in the gallery above.
This movie will be released in March of 2015. It's currently in post-production when this article is published, and we'll certainly see more of it in the weeks to come.
BONUS: Here's Neill Blomkamp's short film Tempbot from many moons ago. Expect it to show you the way to the future.
UPDATE: It's now January 9th, 2015, the last day of CES 2015, and the newest trailer for Chappie is out. This trailer brings a LOT more detail to light. Have a peekie: