Sharlto-Copley-in-ElysiumFollowing on from District 9, one of the most awesome directorial debuts in recent memory, Neill Blomkamp returns behind the camera to bring us the highly anticipated Elysium next year.

With an all-star cast, led by Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley, there’s definitely a lot to look forward to.

We caught a brilliant first look at Damon back in the summer, followed by a great new image last month, and now Empire have treated us to our first look at Copley.

“In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy “Coordinators,” people who can afford bio-genetical engineering, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, built by the Armadyne Corporation, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard government of?cial, 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 ex-con Max 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.”

The leading cast is joined by excellent support, headed up by the awesome William Fichtner, Diego Luna, Alice Braga, and Faran Tahir.

Blomkamp is once more directing from his own script, with Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class) serving as producer.

Elysium is set to hit the big screen in the States on 9th August, 2013, in the height of the US blockbuster season. We’ve a little longer to wait for its arrival on our shores, with its UK release date set for 20th September, and you can bet that the anticipation will be even higher once the trailers start rolling in. For now, here’s our great first look at Copley, which you can click through to enlarge.

Sharlto-Copley-in-Elysium