District 9 star gives update on sequel: 'It'll be another 2 years'

But in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com to promote his role in the new film Beast, Copley – who played the main character Wikus van de Merwe in District 9 – has teased that the sequel could still be a while away yet.

"Neill's got to stop lying to the public, because it's creating havoc," he joked. "It's like if you say you're going to do it, dude, just do it because now I'm sitting trying to..." he explained.

"It was just there was a timing thing with what was going on socio-politically that he was concerned about," he added. "He just wants to sort of time it right.

"So it looks like it's going to be another two years. But you know, what's another two years once it's been like, what, 12? So hopefully we're shooting in like two years time. Let's see."

Even if that mean's there's a while yet to wait, fans have already been given a sneak preview of what they can expect in the new film – with Blomkamp previously teasing that it will draw on American history.

"It took a decade to figure out, to come up with a reason why to make that film as opposed to just make a sequel," he told IGN in May this year.

"There was a topic in American history that the second I realized that that fit into the world of District 9, it felt like an awesome way to do a sequel. So yeah, it continues to be developed and it's getting a lot closer."

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