Andy Wachowski

Release Date and Runtime Announced for The Wachowski Siblings & Tom Twyker’s CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 17th, 2012 at 11:03 am

The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Twyker‘s highly ambitious adaptation of Cloud Atlas now has a release date and a run-time.  According to Thompson on Hollywood, Warner Bros. has picked up distribution rights at Cannes for $20 million, and will release the movie on December 6th.  Additionally, the movie reportedly runs at 2-hours and 44-minutes, which seems about right when you consider that the movie spans six time periods, and you have an ensemble cast each playing multiple roles.  For example, Hugh Grant will be playing six “incredibly evil” characters in the movie, and Halle Berry said one of her roles is a Jewish woman in the 1930s, and another is an old tribal woman.

Hit the jump for a synopsis.  Cloud Atlas also stars Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, and Jim Sturgess.   Surprisingly, the only other film set to open the same weekend as Cloud Atlas is Hyde Park on Hudson, but the following Friday is the blockbuster one-two punch of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Les Miserables.

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis May Lead the Wachowskis’ Sci-Fi Film JUPITER ASCENDING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 26th, 2012 at 12:40 pm

Directors Andy and Lana Wachowski recently wrapped an incredibly ambitious adaptation of the novel Cloud Atlas, and they’re looking to set up their next project straight away. Deadline reports that Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis have been offered the leads in the sci-fi pic Jupiter Ascending for Warner Bros. Plot details are, predictably, under tight wraps, but apparently Jupiter Ascending will act as the siblings’ first major sci-fi action franchise since The Matrix. I’ve liked Tatum more and more with each subsequent film he’s been in (the guy kills in 21 Jump Street) and Kunis is unendingly charming, so I’m all for this casting choice. Hit the jump for more.

Hugh Grant Playing Six “Incredibly Evil” Characters in The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer’s CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 11:25 am

Always swinging for the fences, The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer‘s adaptation of David Mitchell‘s novel Cloud Atlas sounds incredibly ambitious.  The cast, which includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Susan Sarandon, Ben Whishaw, and Hugh Grant, has each of the actors playing different characters in different eras.  Furthermore, the actors will be undergoing radical transformations for their roles.  Whishaw says the actors are swapping genders and races, and now Hugh Grant says he has cameos as six “incredibly evil” characters, which is a radical transformation from his standard “charmingly befuddled” character.

Hit the jump for more.

Tribeca Film Picks Up Keanu Reeves’ Film vs. Digital Documentary SIDE BY SIDE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 12:24 pm

The documentary Side by Side is certainly one of the most interesting projects I’ve learned about in the past few months, and now it looks as though the film will be heading to a theater near you this summer. Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired North American rights to the documentary produced and presented by Keanu Reeves. The film explores the evolving landscape of filmmaking, specifically the advent of digital and how its popularity affects traditional filmmaking. While that subject matter alone is worth exploring, Reeves and director Chris Kenneally sat down with nearly every master filmmaker working today to get their musings on the future of moviemaking.

Side by Side features interviews with James Cameron, David Fincher, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Stephen Soderbergh, the Wachowskis, and many, many more. You can watch the trailer right here. Tribeca Film is planning a multi-platform summer release for the pic, followed by a broadcast premiere early next year in addition to screenings at college campuses and film schools across the country. The film is having its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Keanu Reeves Documentary SIDE BY SIDE Tackles Film vs. Digital Debate; Includes Interviews with Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and David Fincher

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 9th, 2012 at 11:10 am

A curious little website has popped up announcing a new documentary produced by Keanu Reeves that tackles one of the foremost issues facing filmmakers today: the advent of digital filmmaking. Entitled Side by Side, the documentary takes an in-depth look at the issue of film vs. digital, and “examines all aspects of filmmaking – from capture, to edit, to visual effects, to color correction, to distribution to archive.” Through interviews with numerous well-respected masters of the medium, Side by Side “explores what has been gained, what is lost and what the future might bring.” Take this sample quote from Christopher Nolan:

“No credible source really has been claiming to have invented something that is aesthetically superior to film at this point.”

The documentary will feature Reeves interviewing filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Lana and Andy Wachowski, George Lucas, James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, and many more. Hit the jump for more details.

First Official Behind the Scenes Image from The Wachowskis’ CLOUD ATLAS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 7:36 pm

The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer are currently working on an adaptation of Cloud Atlas starring Halle Barry, Hugh Grant, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, and Jim Sturgess.  As someone who has not read the David Mitchell‘s book, it sounds very exciting.  Mitchell tells six stories that span multiple continents and centuries.  All the actors all playing multiple roles.  The Wachowskis are directing one unit, Tykwer is directing a second unit in parallel.  It’s all very ambitious stuff, and I am glad the Wachowskis still have the power to get this made after Speed Racer flopped.

The first official image from production on Cloud Atlas has surfaced.  I do not understand what’s going on within, but it has readers of the book excited.  Hit the jump to check it out.

New Details on The Wachowskis’ CLOUD ATLAS; Halle Berry Says She Plays a Jewish Woman in 1930s and an “Old Tribal Woman”

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 11:34 am

The ambitious adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is more than a little peculiar. Most of the actors in the star-studded ensemble are playing multiple roles, production is split between three directors and two separate units with two different crews (Andy and Lana Wachowski directing one unit, Tom Twyker directing the other), and the film is being financed by a hodgepodge of investors. It’s a smart business move that gives the famously secretive filmmakers an incredible amount of creative freedom for the epic undertaking. Today new details on the film have been revealed, with star Halle Berry saying two of the characters she plays include a Jewish woman in the 1930s and “an old tribal woman.” Hit the jump for much more.

The Wachowski Siblings Return to Action Sci-Fi with JUPITER ASCENDING; Filming Begins Spring 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 20th, 2011 at 9:55 am

Andy and Lana Wachowski are currently at work adaptation David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas plus they’ve got their mysterious Cobalt Neural 9, an uninspiring new take on Robin Hood, and now it looks like they’re going back to the action-sci realm.  According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has picked up the siblings’ original script Jupiter Ascending and put it on the fast track for a spring start date.  The studios is reportedly looking for an A-list star to lead the film and, to the surprise of no one, the script and logline are being kept under tight wraps.  It will be another (most likely expensive) film in the pipeline for Warner Bros., which is also putting adaptations of Akira and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in front of cameras next Spring.

Deadline also reports that Cobalt Neural 9, a hard-R drama that centered on a homosexual relationship between an American soldier and Iraqi citizen, has had trouble picking up funding.  I’m excited to hear what Jupiter Ascending is about, and will try to block The Matrix Revolutions from my memory.

Hugh Grant Joins Ever-Growing Cast of CLOUD ATLAS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 13th, 2011 at 8:41 am

The cast of the ambitious adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is apparently just not big enough. THR reports that Hugh Grant is the latest actor to join the film, which is being directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Twyker. The three co-wrote the screenplay, which centers on six different interlocking storylines that take place across different locations and time periods. The cast now includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Ben Whishaw, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, and Jim Sturgess.

The pic is being produced independently, but boasts a large budget for an indie. Last month Whishaw revealed that all the actors in the film will be playing multiple characters, swapping both gender and race. The production is definitely ambitious, and I’m really interested to see what the Wachowskis have up their sleeve as they haven’t directed a film since 2008’s Speed Racer. Shooting is set to get underway in Glasgow, Scotland.

Ben Whishaw Reveals Actors Will Swap Gender and Race for CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 31st, 2011 at 8:42 am

We knew that the Wachowski Siblings/Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas would be a little crazy.  We knew that the actors would be playing multiple characters.  But in a recent interview with Vulture, cast member Ben Whishaw reveals how crazy it’s going to get.  Whishaw tells Vulture, “Everyone in the cast is playing at least three parts, some big and some small… Everybody’s swapping race and gender, so it’s very ambitious and quite fun.”  For his parts, Whishaw is playing “Frobisher in the thirties; a female American in the seventies, in the Luisa Rey section; and a smallish role, where I’m basically an extra, in a modern-day nursing home, in the Timothy Cavendish section.”  For those unfamiliar with the book, it takes six nested stories across different locales and eras.  Folks who have read the novel say that it’s going to be a tough adaptation but that this approach may be the best way to do it.

However it turns out, I like the ambition although it’s tough to swap genders in a movie and not have it come off as comedic or to swap race and not have it come off as offensive.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.  Cloud Atlas also stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, and Susan Sarandon.

Wachowskis and Tykwer to Shoot CLOUD ATLAS Next Month but with a Reduced Budget

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 7:21 am

The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer’s audacious adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas has been long in development but it will finally go before cameras in mid-to-late September.  Mitchell’s novel spans six different lifetimes across six different eras.  The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Ben Whishaw, and Jim Broadbent.  If you’re wondering about the ambition of the project, Weaving said back in May that he was playing six different characters, which sounds like each actor won’t be playing just one character in one time period.

However, the project will also be working with less money.  Producer Stefan Ardnt tells THR that the budget for Cloud will be “definitely lower” than then rumored $100 – $120 million, which isn’t too surprising.  Speed Racer was a flop and Tykwer has never worked with $100+ budget.  However, the production has gotten significant tax breaks by shooting about 80% of the movie in Babelsberg, Berlin and the surrounding area.  The film is also getting made due to a unique financing arrangement from Berlin bank IFB and German regional film funding body, the Medienboard.  Hit the jump for more details on Cloud Atlas.

Hugo Weaving Says He’s Playing Six Different Characters in CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 30th, 2011 at 8:52 am

Speaking to folks who have read David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, there seems to be a shared agreement that they don’t know how it can be adapted into a movie.  The novel spans across different eras and different lifetimes: “A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilization”.  The film stars Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, and Jim Broadbent, and all of the actors are playing multiple roles with Weaving revealing he gets to play six different characters.  Weaving explained to the Herald Sun [via The Playlist]:

“That’s a project that’s really exciting because all the actors will be playing more than one role I actually have six characters in the same film and they are all different people in six different stories.”

The Wachowski Siblings will be co-directing with Tom Tykwer and the ambition of the project makes this a movie to keep on your radar.  Filming is set to begin in September for a likely 2013 release.  Hit the jump for the synopsis of the novel.

Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw Join the Wachowskis’ CLOUD ATLAS, Halle Berry Confirmed to Star

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 11:53 am

As production nears closer for the big-budget adaptation of Cloud Atlas, the cast is starting to come together. Last month, Tom Hanks was confirmed to star in the adaptation that will be directed by the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Now, THR reports that Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw (I’m Not There) have joined the cast. The report also confirms earlier rumors that Halle Berry will indeed appear in the film.

No word on which roles the actors will take on at the moment, but production is set to begin this fall. Warner Bros. is releasing the film in North America and Focus Features International is currently looking for buyers at Cannes. The Wachowskis and Twyker are writing the film as well as directing. Hit the jump to read the synopsis for David Mitchell’s novel.

Tom Hanks Confirmed to Star in CLOUD ATLAS; Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer to Co-Write and Direct

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 12th, 2011 at 2:47 pm

As early as last summer, we heard that Tom Hanks would star in an adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.  Then there was confusion over who would be writing and directing: The Wachowski Siblings and/or Tom Tykwer.  In January, Natalie Portman—who was also rumored to co-star—said that the Wachowskis and Tykwer were directing together.  Today, we have confirmation on both facts with Deadline reporting that Hanks will star and that the Wachowskis and Tykwer will write and direct the movie.

Portman also said she had a small role in the film, but there’s currently no confirmation that she’s on board at this point.  We’re also awaiting confirmation on whether or not James McAvoy and Halle Berry will be in the film, which is scheduled to begin shooting in September.  Hit the jump for more on the project including a synopsis of the novel.

Are Two More MATRIX Films in the Works? And in 3D? [Updated]

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 23rd, 2011 at 4:01 pm

While there is a decent chance you’ll one day be able to file this under “Internet movie rumors that never amounted to anything,” we’d be remiss not to at least pass this along.  A report has filed in from a “Q & A” at the London International School of Performing Arts which claims that star Keanu Reeves spoke at moderate length about returning to The Matrix for two more sequels.  Per the account, Reeves claims to have had lunch with The Wachowski Brothers over Christmas during which they briefed him on a two-film treatment they had finished for the Matrix franchise.

Obviously, keep in mind that the purported eye-witness account of the “Q & A” is, as of yet, unconfirmed.  Nevertheless, if you’d like to here more about what Reeves purportedly had to say about reprising his role as Neo, hit the jump. [Update: It looks as if the lead in the write-up has been proven true as sources from both the Reeves camp and the London International School of Performing Arts claim the "Q & A" never even happened.]

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