New 'Elysium' images with Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley

It looks like Sony's gamble in keeping Neill Blomkamp's Elysium under a shroud of secrecy has paid off. The trailer hit last night and was met with overwhelmingly positive response, with many already comparing it to his breakthrough hit, District 9, only with a much larger scope.

A handful of new images have been released which give a better look at stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and a rather nasty Sharlto Copley. Set in the year 2159, the poor are forced to struggle on a scarred, overpopulated Earth while the rich live a disease-free existence aboard a space station known as the Elysium. Damon plays a regular guy who takes on a dangerous mission to board Elysium and find a cure for his cancer. Foster is the woman whose job it is to maintain the status quo, and so she hires Copley to put Max down once and for all.

Will Elysium find an audience amongst the summer season's heavy superhero slate? We'll find out on August 9th. [EW]