Eminem just might kick himself, if the upcoming sci-fi film Elysium from District 9¡¯s Neill Blomkamp becomes another smashing hit.

Reports indicate the director initially wanted Eminem to star in the film, but the rapper said he would only be interested in the role if the film was shot in his home town of Detroit.

However, that proved impossible with the massive budget that followed the film (reported to be around $90 million), so Blomkamp elected to bring in Jason Bourne himself, Matt Damon to the role.

Blomkamp did admit though that he planned Elysium to be a low-budget movie and offered the lead role to Ninja, a member of South African rap crew Die Antwoord. Ninja though declined the role because he thought the film was ¡°too high profile¡± for his first gig as an actor.

The hunt finally ended with Damon taking the lead role. Damon plays Max De Costa, a regular man from Earth who accepts a dangerous mission to break into Elysium, a flawless man-made space station where only the wealthy live.

The film is set in 2159 and finds that the human race is divided into two different social parameters. The wealthy live on Elysium, while Earth has become a desolated planet filled with violence, crime and poverty.

Jodie Foster co-stars alongside Damon as the antagonist, Secretary Delacourt who hunts down De Costa across the paradise in a bid to deny any ¡°undesirables¡± entering the paradise.

The film opens in Australian cinemas on August 15th. Take a look at the trailer below: