As promised, we’ve been treated with our first look at Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie today, which brings us up close and personal with the titular robotic stowaway.
Fans of the South African filmmaker will no doubt recognise some of the stylistic influences from the director’s previous work; particularly in regard to District 9, as the naive-yet-brilliant character of Chappie bears some semblance to the extra-terrestrial Christopher Johnson. Still, Blomkamp’s latest has been described as a sci-fi comedy, and while the recently-released footage has a very action-oriented, Messiah-like slant, we understand the film will indeed be a significant departure from Elysium and District 9 — Sharlto Copley’s involvement notwithstanding.
At its core, the feature film (which is based loosely on Blomkamp’s 2003 short, Tetra Vaal) will chart the adventures of the title AI who is kidnapped by gangsters at a young age and subsequently raised by a dysfunctional family. Chappie will be voiced and motion captured by the aforementioned Copley, and it appears as though the sentient robot will become increasingly more aware of his own role and impact on the human race as the film progresses.
Chappie will bring together quite the ensemble cast when it release in theaters on March 27th, 2015; one that includes Sharlto Copley, Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman and Dev Patel. For now, be sure to let us know what you think of the first trailer in the comments section below.
Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings – some good, some bad – and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there’s one thing that makes Chappie different from anyone else: he is a robot. The first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. His life, his story, will change the way the world looks at robots and humans forever.
