Sony Pictures Early on in its development, things didn’t look so good for Chappie, and not just because of its horrendous title. The director Neill Blomkamp’s adventurous decision to hire the South-African, cult-hit rave duo Die Antwoord as actors didn’t appear to be paying off: Strife between the rappers and the cast and crew resulted in the group’s frontman, Ninja, being written out of a scene, a frustrated interview with a fellow cast member, and, reportedly, an incident with Dev Patel and a space cake.