- Dec '00
- <Michelle Yeoh instead of Jet Li?>
- <Keanu Reeves about training>
- <Carrie-Ann Moss about sequels>
- <Benjamin Bratt talks to Brothers>
- <Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe>
- <Art of The Matrix coming close>
MICHELLE YEOH INSTEAD OF JET LI? >Source: Variety
Michelle Yeoh ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") is in negotiations to star in the two sequels of "The Matrix" for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. While the storyline of the sequels is a closely guarded secret, sources are saying the role she's in talks for is the same one that fellow Hong Kong tailkicking import Jet Li once seemed destined to play.
In the case of "The Matrix," the dilemma for Jet Li was that there was no money left over to pay him the star salary to which he's grown accustomed. The film is already expensive, not only because writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski are trying to make two more cutting-edge sci-fi films, but also because of the presence of gross players. Keanu Reeves signed to reprise the starring role in two films for a $30 million advance against 15% of gross, and producer Joel Silver and the Wachowskis are both part of the gross pool.
Word is, Li asked for about $13 million for the two pictures, but sources said Li was offered $3 million to work for 11 months to star in two movies for which he'd have received no backend. He also would have had his likeness used in a "Matrix" videogame. Spending a year essentially working for $1.5 million a pic would have been undermined his existing price quote, the $9.5 million advance against gross profit participation that Li will receive to star in the Revolution action film "The One."
KEANU REEVES ABOUT TRAINING >Source: Sci Fi Wire
Speaking with SCI FI Wire, Keanu Reeves commented that he started training for The Matrix 2 and 3 a month ago, and that moviegoers should expect more ambitious things in the sequels to 1999's hit film. "We're doing the kung fu training," Reeves said during a press briefing for his upcoming supernatural thriller film "The Gift". "It's just harder, more sophisticated."
Reeves added, "Instead of one-on-one fights, there's multi-fights. And weapons: there's some more weapons. And the ambition of what Larry and Andy Wachowski (the directors) want to do and where they want to put the camera and the environments they want to shoot ... are insane."
He said he doesn't know when filming will start on the sequels, which are to be shot back-to-back in Australia, San Francisco and other locations. "The brothers have a tough gig ahead of them, which is very daunting," Reeves said. "But which is good, because it helps you do better work. ... I thought they made a great film [in The Matrix]. ... There was a great style to it. There were great ideas. There was a freshness to it; there's a nice vitality to the film, if you relate to the picture. ... So I'm glad to be there."
CARRIE-ANN MOSS ABOUT SEQUELS >Source: The National post
The National Post has posted an interview with Carrie-Anne Moss about "The Matrix" sequels, "Red Planet" and her personal life. Here's a part of it...
Anyone who thought Carrie-Anne Moss kicked butt in The Matrix should catch her in Pilates class.
The dark-haired Vancouver-born actress, who first won public acclaim working a black latex catsuit opposite Keanu Reeves' techno hero, is now stretched out across what looks like a medieval torture device at the Los Angeles Live Art Pilates and yoga studio, under the care of Siri Dharma Galliano, the Zen-like yogini and Pilates master who trained Cameron Diaz for Charlie's Angels and Uma Thurman for Batman Returns.
"That's called The Chair," explains Galliano, an elegant woman who talks softly but carries a big kick. "It's all about balance.. and your bottom."
Good thing. The Matrix 2 will start filming this spring, to be followed immediately by production of The Matrix 3, and word is the sequels will feature even more futuristic martial arts (and tighter latex) than the original.
"I'm doing Pilates for my thighs," sighs Moss in mid-flex, "but also for my soul."
After shooting four movies back to back since the original Matrix, The Crew (the recent Mafia comedy starring Burt Reynolds), Memento (an experimental thriller, coming out in March), Red Planet (a sci-fi adventure) and Chocolat (a holiday fantasy, costarring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp), Moss is back to a fairly punishing training program.
Nevertheless, the actress says she much prefers her "real body" to her "movie body."
"I like a little cushion," she explains. "On The Matrix, I lost a lot of body fat, I became too hard. I had a photo of myself from that period. I had really short hair and was so buff, everyone who saw it thought I was a guy."
Click <here> to see more of the this interview!
BENJAMIN BRATT TALKS TO BROTHERS >Source: Coming Attractions
At the 'Miss Congeniality' premiere, Benjamin Bratt insisted that he currently had no projects, but he has been talking to the Wachowski brothers a lot lately. When an apparently clueless person dared to ask why, he replied, 'Matrix 2, of course.' Bratt was nearly giddy as he said this, and seems to be trying to pull some strings to land a role in the film. He also says he has a decent martial arts background, with such talents being essential to the Matrix actors.
JADA PINKETT-SMITH AS NIOBE >Source: Variety
Variety confirms that Jada Pinkett-Smith has finally closed a deal with Warner Brothers to co-star in the much anticipated sequel to "The Matrix". She's probably going to play the part of Niobe, the former girlfriend of Morpheus.
The film's producers are also negotiating deals with singer Aaliyah, Harold Perrineau, Jr. and Harry Lennex.
ART OF THE MATRIX COMING CLOSE!
On the 11th of December, "The Art of The Matrix" is coming out! It's a must have book if you are a fan of the movie. The book is printed in Belgium. Here's what Amazon had to say about it:
"The Art of The Matrix goes beyond the film. But you cannot be told what this book is...you have to see it for yourself! The most unusual one-of-a-kind giftbook of the season, and the first and only book licensed by the creators of this awesome film
This is the complete pre-production archive of artwork and conceptual drawings, along with the script and commentary in the artists' own voices, in a beautifully printed, large format book, four-color throughout--long awaited by Matrix fans worldwide.
Grossing more than $400 million worldwide, ranked as one of the all-time top-selling home video releases with over 2,000,000 DVDs sold, and winner of four Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing) The Matrix has proven to be nothing short of a phenomenon.
The tale of Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a computer hacker forced to confront his special destiny in the salvation of mankind, challenged our perceptions of reality and expanded our expectations of what a movie could be. Spencer Lamm writes in his introduction: "This book was created to express some sense of the massive planning that went into the film. It showcases the bulk of the artwork, presenting a close approximation of what was shown to the studio...
Combining all the art, the Wachowskis were able to walk people through the script [219 scenes] producing, essentially, a 400-page giant comic book. Initially a tool to sell the picture, it became a detailed map for production."
Exclusive to this volume are:
If you want to pre-order this book, do it <here>
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