The Matrix

Genre: Science Fiction/Action.

Studio: Warner Brothers.
Production Company: Unknown.

Project Phase: In the Can.

Who's In It: Keanu Reeves; Carrie-Anne Moss; Laurence Fishburne; Hugo Weaving; Joe Pantiliano.
Who's Making It: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski (Directors); Joel Silver (Producer).

Premise: A man living in 1997 starts to experience memories of being wired against his will into a computer system. Soon he begins to believe that our everyday world is nothing more than a complex virtual fantasy world inside a digital matrix. But if that is true, then who are his jailors...and what about everyone else around him?

Release Date: 1999.

Comments:

None.

Rumors: Unknown.

Scoop Feedback:

June 24, 1997... [Page draft created and submitted by 'Deadpool'.]

August 9, 1997... Warner Brothers has extended an offer to Val Kilmer to co-star in this film. Kilmer is supposedly deciding between a role in this film and the Aldrich Ames role in Killer Spy. [Scoops emailed in by 'st7i9', 'Wax Ecstatic' and anonymously.]

August 19, 1997... Shooting is being planned for Australia and possibly Hong Kong, this scooper announces. [Sent in anonymously.]

August 26, 1997... From somewhere in L.A., this scooper gives us his comments about the Matrix script he's read.

"I've read the screen play and the concept is very intriguing. Imagine if all of a sudden you realized that it wasn't 1997, but 2197, and instead of actually doing the things you thought you did in life, you just sat in a big vat of a jello like liquid (according to the screenplay) and were wired into a vast and intricate computer system called 'The Matrix' that is controlled by machines that have taken over the world (a la Terminator in my opinion.) The script promises for interesting ideas and concepts as well as action sequences, but the ending is something that may leave the audience disappointed, and is sure to raise the ultimate question, 'So then, what was the point?'" [Sent in by Mark S.]

September 21, 1997... Laurence Fishburne is THIS CLOSE to starring in this film we're told. But someone inside the production can tell us a bit more about it. Apparently Kilmer was never really considered for the supporting role, but the good news is that the Wachowski brothers are "very interested" in having Fishburne in their picture. [Thanks to 'bhavna', Christian and a special anonymous person for the tips.]

November 1, 1997... Our source tells us that the film is expected to commence shooting in Sydney, Australia in January 1998. There's currently a bit of tussle going on down under; Showground Studios is currently totally occupied by the production of George Miller's Babe in Metropolis, and booking space for Matrix is difficult if not impossible. But have no fear: as soon as Babe 2 finishes, Matrix starts. "There is considerable talk about who's working on it, but one things about 95% sure - it will definitely go ahead. Too early to give names, but a designer and gaffer are confirmed." WB is also looking at something called a 'self-propelled train' for the film. [Scooped anonymously.]

November 10, 1997... "This film may be based in part on a novella called 'Virtual Realities', originally published in the sourcebook of the same name for the 'Shadowrun' role-playing game. Briefly, it's the story of an entity named Renny which lives in the global computer network called the Matrix. Other people, human beings, are able to enter the Matrix and manipulate data, but Renny is much better at it because he's spent his entire life in the Matrix. Eventually, one of the human beings hired to help 'train' Renny discovers that Renny isn't an artificial intelligence at all, but a real human child that has been cut off from all 'real-world' stimuli so that he focuses solely on the Matrix world -- the only world he knows. The story, by Christopher Kubasik, is excellent and well-told.

"Having spoken with the line developer of the 'Shadowrun' RPG, I know that a film based on this novella is in the works. However, all references to the RPG are being removed in the interest of streamlining the story (and possibly avoiding licensing fees). That would explain some of the plot differences, as well as the fact that the film is set in 2197 rather than 2059 (the date of the game world). It's hard to say what similarities the film will have to the original story, but I'm still looking forward to it." [Downloaded into the neutral webnet by 'Decker'.]

December 3, 1997... The cast and crew left the U.S. to Australia after Thanksgiving to commence the project. With a budget of $63 million, talk is being heard the film may not be ready for '98 and instead debut in 1999. [Submitted by 'steg'.]

Fishburne's character is described as a computer hacker. Also, actor Hugo Weaving joins the main cast. [Scooped by 'Dr. Strangelove' and anonymously.]

The computer effects for the film were awarded to Mass Illusion (Judge Dredd, Eraser and the forthcoming What Dreams May Come), despite underbidding by Digital Domain (reportedly quite a bit under the Mass Illusions bid.) [Holography furnished by 'Zarquon'.]

January 12, 1998... A scooper claims to have seen producer Joel Silver at the Unified Film Organization booth at a film event known as the 'AFM' last February 1997. There, the scooper claims, Silver watched a trailer for the U.F.O. feature entitled Darkdrive, and picked up some "literature" about the film. The scooper claims Silver "seemed rather impressed with its ideas regarding a man trapped in a virtual reality, but believing that he is living a normal life in the present. This was most certainly the 'inspiration' for Matrix. I would ask that you confirm this with the folks at U.F.O. in Burbank, CA."

Well, we don't have their number, but we do recall a friend who worked on one aspect of Matrix well before the February date the scooper mentioned. We don't want to take either side, but as far as we know, the Matrix project has been moving along slowly for well over a year. [Scoop handed in anonymously.]

Meanwhile, another reader caught an interview with Keanu Reeves where he mentioned filming begins in March 1998, in Australia. Reeves described the film as "Film noir meets Billy Wilder with a whole lot of Japanese anime thrown in." [Anonymous.]

Mass Illusion is doing the film's FX. [Item sent in by 'Mr. Cynic'; originally appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.]

Then, finally we end with this scooper's email:

"Your last 'scooper' was all wrong! Lawrence Fishburne does not play a 'hacker' in Matrix. That's Keanu Reeves' role. Keanu's character is called 'Neo', although his birth name is 'Thomas Anderson'. He's the star! Fishburne will play a character called 'Morpheus' - hard to describe what he is, but he is pivotal to the plot. Understand from an interview with Keanu I saw in October, that there will be *alot* of money to be made from Matrix with 'games' and other product tie-ins. Could it be that Keanu's agent and manager want to make up financially for not getting their cut of the 11mil Keanu turned down for Speed 2??? TSK TSK!" [Scoop slipped under the door by 'Femlawyer'.]

March 8, 1998... While he was hanging out on The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show, actor Joe Pantiliano told the crowd he would be in this picture. [ March 12, 1998... Production has been underway for almost two months now in Sydney, with principal photography scheduled to begin on March 16th. In fact, Keanu Reeves has been in Sydney since the start of February. People working on the film use words like "it's big", and "fantastic sets"; in fact, the whole general vibe we've been getting from people associated with this secret thing is that it's really cool and no one wants to let the cat out of the bag. Our interest has been whetted.

Producer Joel Silver is arriving in Sydney in April, having just arranged suitably palatial digs ($1,700 a week) in ritzy waterfront suburb Elizabeth Bay. [Real estate scoped out by 'glowchoy'.]

Mass Illusions is providing the visual FX for the film. [Thank you to 'Mr. Cynic'.]

Some of the possible plot points have been sent our way, and we don't want to let too much out of the bag right now. Essentially, the Matrix is a worldwide-computer network that keep a few humans online; we're considered "vermin". Some of the effects described in it include a group of "flying Ninjas", the scene being shot in Japan; an audio/tracking bug that's a living organism that burrows into your skin and moves around underneath the dermis before settling down into a comfortable place (for it, not for you); and to prevent people from screaming you just slap a bio-device onto their neck that makes the skin surrounding their mouth grow and seal it off. The best rumor is about a lifesize Keanu Reeves anamatronic model has been getting "a heavy duty workout in a shooting stage down here." Neato. [Anonymous down under.]

[Thanks to various scoopers, including Clint, and a fair number of anonymous individuals.]

We've also received some cool feedback from people who've seen a bit of this project. Let's let them have a chance at center stage...

"This reader of the Matrix screenplay thought the 'W' brothers did a kick-ass job. Highly visual writing that's a virtual how-to for novice writers. Also, the ending worked quite well for me, but it's gonna be tough to pull off. It's almost one of those 2001, space baby type-a-things. It's nice to see though that they're reaching for something really out there and not playing it safe. Might I add I have no connection to them, just wanted to give a tip of the hat in their direction." [Sent in by 'Mongo'."

"I was in Sydney on business at the beginning of February, and Keanu Reeves arrived into town. Subsuquently saw him bumming around the Rocks area of Sydney. A good majority of principal photography is definitely happening down under, although reports in the city stated that they will not use Sydney as a locale for the movie. The location scouts just thought it looked like a good, generic city appropriate for the film." [Thanks to 'Seattle-Stefan'.]

"The MATRIX set at the Sydney Showgrounds is HUGE! The main set is so large that it has a full size and working helicopter literally flying around inside it. If nothing else, this movie is going to look great!" [Thanks to 'adandnat'.]

March 15, 1998... Yesterday morning the production shut down some streets in Sydney for shooting some action scenes. The scooper who reported this to us said they saw a helicopter "diving over buildings with two stuntmen hanging wayyy down low underneath." [Coded by Jeremiah.]

April 27, 1998... "Hi, a bit of news about Matrix for you from an Australian local. Shots of the cast and crew shooting dangerous helicopter/tall building/action scenes have been on the news. Apparently it was the first time a chopper had been allowed to weave in and out so close to the high rises in the CBD of Sydney. It looked pretty dangerous. A week ago walking through Sydney I stumbled accross the movie shooting in a few closed off city back streets. Security was tight (but bored) and the technical crew was huge (heaps of trucks). The street was set up to look like an old fashioned market, with heaps of extras wandering around with baskets checking out the stalls. It looked like a poor, old fashioned, wooden crate kind of market, but the extras were normally dressed. It was a pretty old and dirty part of the city. I'm pretty sure I also saw Keanu standing there looking pretty bored/weary/indifferent looking wearing dark pants and some type of black hat with a rim." [City scoping done by the man with a number, 'u974213'.]

November 9, 1998... We're told that the movie is approximately 60% fully edited. Everything looks great from the material that's been shown, prompting our scooper to say that this should be the '99 version of Total Recall -- a big spectacular sci-fi/action film. ['Wong Fei Hung' sent us this through cyberspace.]

December 8, 1998... Our scooper took solace knowing that their identity could be safely withheld when they sat down to share with us some interesting reports they heard from those working on this project. The Matrix will be high on stunts, but according to those on the set, some members of the Matrix crew said that the film's helicopter stunts are some of the "scariest stuff" ever seen. According to the source, the helicopters actually dive straight down the sides of buildings in some scenes.

The Wachowski brothers are using an unlikely film effect to achieve suspense for the viewers: they're mixing film speeds together. "One scene has a helicopter circling round in slow motion and Keanu is in the front walking at normal speed," our scooper explains of the brothers' implemented idea. "Another shot freezes everyone and Keanu and Laurence walk amongst them. It's supposed to be incredibly cool."

We're hearing mixed signals that the film could come out as early as next summer, or as late as winter '99. The film's zone of secrecy has been so great that no one except the brothers know what the film will finally look like. "The producers have only been allowed to see a half hour of it," our mystery source told us. "It's that hush hush."

But our person-in-the-know could let us in on one aspect of Keanu's character as he draws toward the end of the film. It's hidden because of the SPOILER material it contains, so you can decide if you want to read our scooper's final words or not: "The film ends with Keanu becoming aware as he looks at the world around him. He then transcends. Yep, really out there."

[With great thanks to our anonymous source.]



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