In some◊ early Concept Art, Deon is white (particularly resembling Jason Cope, who was the motion actor for Christopher Johnson in District 9), but in the final film, he's played by British-Indian actor Dev Patel.
Completely Different Title: In Italy, "Chappie" is written very similar to a word for "buttocks" and sounds like a local brand of dog food, so while the character's name wasn't changed in the dub, it was considered wise to avoid using it as a title, as it could create the perception of a lighter movie than it actually is. At least the Italian title is the captivating Humandroid.
Dueling Works: With Ex Machina, another 2015 film about the consequences of artificial intelligence.
Executive Meddling: Sony decided to edit the Japanese version of the film to PG-12, which is the Japanese equivalent to a PG-13 rating, and refused to release an uncut version in Japan. While Sony claims Blomkamp approved the edits, Blomkamp himself says he had never heard about them when Japanese fans began asking him questions about it.
Hostility on the Set: Ninja was a pain to work with during production (acting inappropriately around women, acting like he knew more about film making than everybody else, etc.). Hugh Jackman reportedly despised even being in his vicinity.
Stillborn Franchise: The film was the first in a proposed trilogy. The idea of making sequels was eventually dropped.
Stunt Casting: A frequent criticism of the film boils down to Blomkamp's decision to cast Die Antwoord as central characters, with many disparaging their acting abilities or complaining about the frequent nods to their music.
What Could Have Been: In an alternate scene, Chappie was shown breaking Moore's leg in a graphic way.
◊ early Concept Art, Deon is white (particularly resembling Jason Cope, who was the motion actor for Christopher Johnson in District 9), but in the final film, he's played by British-Indian actor Dev Patel.
