A first look image at Matt Damon in Elysium, Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed District 9, and it features a Matt Damon we’ve never really seen before.

As a piece of entertaining and original cinema, District 9 was a success. However, when taking into account the political overtones that run through the film so seamlessly, it’s a near-masterpiece. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see what Blomkamp has in store for us in his much-anticipated follow-up. Here’s a synopsis:

Set in the year 2159, where the very wealthy lives on a man-made space station while the rest of population reside on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

Based on that synopsis alone, the political implications really jump out at you. But just as important, it looks like this really could be an entertaining, original piece of sci-fi cinema. Here’s the look at Matt Damon, courtesy of EW:

The film also stars the likes of Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), Sharlto Copley (District 9), Wagner Moura (Elite Squad), Alice Braga (I Am Legend), and Diego Luna (Y Tu Mamá También). Elysium hits theaters March 1, 2013. Are you excited?