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STORAGE FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS
Source: <Countingdown>

ESC Entertainment Artists, the company currently working on the special effects for the Matrix Reloaded, has chosen Blue Arc high performance storage systems to maximize their productivity. Here's a clip from a press release:

Si7500 Storage System Delivers Five Times the Performance of Rival Systems, Enabling ESC Entertainment Artists to Maximize Productivity

BlueArc Corporation, provider of the world's highest performance and most scalable enterprise-class network attached storage (NAS) systems, today announced that ESC Entertainment, a visual effects company behind the much-anticipated sequels to The Matrix, has chosen BlueArc's Si7500 Storage System to meet the demands of their state-of-the-art render farm. ESC relies on BlueArc to increase network performance and reduce file retrieval and rendering times for its digital effects.

At ESC Entertainment, visual effects artists move data sets to and from hundreds of clustered rendering servers. The system processes multiple data streams that are 4MB to 6MB each, requiring a tremendous amount of data throughput. To meet the performance, reliability and scalability demands of its rendering farm, ESC deployed two BlueArc Si7500 Storage Systems with over 10 terabytes of combined storage capacity, thereby increasing the performance and productivity of both artists and programmers.

BlueArc has now become ESC's high-performance network storage provider of choice, and as new projects require additional bandwidth and terabytes of additional storage, the BlueArc-ESC relationship is expected to see ongoing expansion and development.

"Delivery dates are critical in the film industry, and we are pleased that the performance and scalability of our technology and storage products are helping ensure that ESC is able to meet their deadlines," said Chuck Joseph, senior vice president of marketing, sales and service for BlueArc.

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INFOGRAMES ACQUIRES GAME LICENSE
Source: <Infogrames>

An official press release from Infogrames on the acquisition of Shiny Entertainment by Infogrames, and the Matrix game license.

-- Transaction Brings Highly Coveted “THE MATRIX” Franchise and State-of-the-Art Development Studio Under Infogrames Banner --

INFOGRAMES TO ACQUIRE SHINY ENTERTAINMENT
AND EXCLUSIVE LICENSE TO “THE MATRIX” INTERACTIVE GAMES

New York, New York, April 24, 2002 – Infogrames, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFGM), a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software, today announced that it has signed a Purchase Agreement to acquire Shiny Entertainment, Inc. from Interplay Entertainment Corp. (Nasdaq: IPLY). Through this acquisition, Infogrames will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop and publish interactive games based on sequels to the highly acclaimed, Academy Award-winning action thriller, “THE MATRIX.” The games will be based on the upcoming sequels, “THE MATRIX RELOADED” and “THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS” from Warner Bros. Pictures. The transaction is expected to close within one week, following satisfaction of various closing conditions, which include the execution of other ancillary agreements with various third parties.

Under the terms of the agreement, Infogrames will acquire the full development operations of Shiny Entertainment and will have exclusive rights to the THE MATRIX sequel games for all major existing platforms, and their successors and replacements; the patent for Shiny’s Advanced Tessellation Technology; and exclusive rights to other tools and assets associated with the development of THE MATRIX games, for a purchase price of approximately $47 million (subject to certain adjustments), in a combination of cash and a promissory note. As part of the transaction, David Perry, founder and President of Shiny Entertainment, has signed a long-term employment agreement with Infogrames to remain as President of Shiny. Under Mr. Perry’s leadership, Shiny’s development team, which now joins Infogrames, created award-winning titles such as Earthworm Jim, MDK and Sacrifice, which are published by Interplay. Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowksi, the creators, writers and directors of THE MATRIX franchise, have worked closely with Mr. Perry and the Shiny team on the development of the games.

“To add Shiny and THE MATRIX franchise to our portfolio is a tremendous coup for Infogrames,” said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and CEO of Infogrames, Inc. “Shiny’s outstanding development team has a proven track record for creating innovative games that push the envelope, making the studio a wonderful addition to our growing in-house development team, and underscoring our commitment to assembling the best talent in the industry under the Infogrames banner.”

Shiny Entertainment will join Infogrames, Inc.’s internal development operations, which currently include: Reflections Interactive (Stuntman, Driver, Driver 2); Legend Entertainment (Unreal, Unreal Episode 2); Humongous Entertainment (Backyard Sports); and studio teams in Los Angeles, CA; Beverly, MA; and Minneapolis, MN. In addition, on behalf of its parent company, Infogrames Entertainment SA, the Company manages Paradigm Entertainment (Terminator, Mission: Impossible II), and a studio in Hunt Valley, MD, and represents Eden Studio (V-Rally franchise) and Melbourne House (Men in Black II, Formula One) in the U.S.

Warner Bros., the studio producing and releasing THE MATRIX films and the licensor for THE MATRIX game rights, has approved the acquisition and transfer of the license to Infogrames. The first game Infogrames will release will be “THE MATRIX RELOADED,” the sequel to the original blockbuster THE MATRIX. Currently, the game is scheduled for release in May 2003 in conjunction with the theatrical release of “THE MATRIX RELOADED” motion picture.

“The revenue potential for THE MATRIX on multiple platforms is tremendous, making THE MATRIX RELOADED a premier title in our line-up for Fiscal 2003,” said Mr. Bonnell. “THE MATRIX is one of the most desirable franchises within this industry. Its popularity and cult status are undeniable, and its movie fan base encompasses the quintessential gaming audience.” Mr. Bonnell continued, ”Working closely with David’s team at Shiny, we expect to release the game around the world next May, backed by the full force of our marketing, advertising and retail operations.”

“Infogrames has a legacy of attracting the best development teams in the business and they’ve built a reputation for being extremely supportive of creative talent,” said David Perry, President of Shiny Entertainment. Mr. Perry continued, “We are thrilled to be joining the Infogrames family, which clearly shares our enthusiasm for and belief in THE MATRIX franchise.” "

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RUPERT REID JOINS THE CAST
Sources: <Moviehole.net>, <Countingdown>

Actor Rupert Reid (TV's "Blue Heelers") will star in both "Matrix" films in a role described as one of great importance, according to Moviehole.net. Rupert is also a fan of the first film: "To me The Matrix is a seminal work," Reid says. "That film made me question reality. It threw a spanner in the works of Hollywood with its script that was so well revealed and had so many twists and turns."


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CHANNEL V INTERVIEWS
Source: <The Matrix Online>
Thanks to: Nerje

These notes were sent in by Nerje to The Matrix Online:

On Australia's Channel [V] news program, Informer, Andrew "Super" Mercado was able to catch up with the four biggest stars of The Matrix sequels, Carrie-Ann, Laurence, Keanu and Hugo. I managed to catch the whole thing and here are my notes. There's a few bits missing but I think I grabbed all the important stuff.

INTERVIEW WITH HUGO WEAVING
All the interviews took place in a Neb bedroom.

Super mentions that Agent Smith looked pretty dead at the end of the first film. Hugo replies with "well you'll notice that I seem to die about three or four times through the whole film..." followed by "If Neo's around, Smith will be around".
Super brings up the other two Agents, Rob and Paul. Hugo says that they "ran away after the first film" and that they would not be returning, but he had other Agents to back him up. Super whinges about the Aussies being replaced by international actors and Hugo mentions that there are a few international villains, American, Swiss, and so on. (Weren't the Virii noted to be Swiss?)
Then Super asked if the stunts were more involved, had the ante been upped? "The Ante has certainly been upped". Then Super cuts to a clip of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive mimed by Hugo in drag, from Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Funny stuff.

INTERVIEW WITH LAURENCE FISHBURNE

Super compliments Laurence and says that we all loved the first film, when did he realise that it would be a trilogy and not just a single film? Laurence says that about midway through shooting they realised that there was a lot more to this whole Matrix thing and that there would be a possibility of making two more films.
"When fans approach you," asks Super, "do they ask you questions and expect you to be an expert on the Matrix mythology?" "No," replies Laurence. "They expect me to BE Morpheus".

Super wonders if it's difficult to work with the blue screen. Laurence says no, with most films blue screen is commonplace and the challenge is actually in the size, and the length, and the post production, and the fact that he release will also be unique.
Super comments that the third movie is a while away, and Laurence will be talking to people about it very a very long time after he's finished making it. "And before," comments Laurence.
Being a music channel, Super asks what Laurence listens to. Laurence is listening to a 5-disc Jazz documentary right now and in makeup he's been listening to Groove Armada.
Finally Super asks a decent question - what can we expect from Morpheus in the sequels? "Expect him to be a lot bigger, a lot more intense."

INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE-ANN

Super is a comedic genius and says that all of Carrie-Ann's projects begin with M - Models Inc, Matrix, Memento. Carrie-Ann jokes and says that it's her technique.
Super asks if it's amazing to read a story like The Matrix and then see it on screen. She says it's exciting to watch something like The Matrix manifest on screen, and this is largely due to the "Bill Popes" and "Kym Barretts" (there were other names mentioned and I didn't catch them, sorry). She also says that what she's doing now is strange - she can't imagine it until she sees it on screen.

Super mentions that the interviews are taking place in Trinity's quarters (awesome). He mentions that they aren't girly, it's actually quite masculine, and Carrie-Ann doesn't mind that, but she notes there are no flowers in there.
What can we expect from Trinity? "I can't say too much, but expect great action, and lots of shiny PVC costumes".

Super blabs on about Models Inc. then asks Carrie-Ann if she's seen the DVD. She says she's got a DVD player but can't figure it out so she doesn't know. Then they show the Rock is Dead clip from Marilyn Manson.

INTERVIEW WITH KEANU REEVES

Note - I missed a bit of this because I could write what he said or watch the footage onscreen. Guess which I chose?
Super says that the first one was about Neo's journey, what about the sequels? Keanu says "yes, and no" and that they aren't just about Neo, and go in a few other directions. The first film was an awakening, the sequels will take a different stance. They talk about Keanu's training regime for a while. I was incredibly distracted by the scenes being shown so I ignored that bit.
Super asks about the soundtrack, and what can be expected. Keanu doesn't have a clue, and mentions that The Prodigy were a large part of the brothers' pulse, their vibe, during the making of the first film. Super asks if there'll be a Dogstar track on the CD and I love Keanu's reply: "Heh, doubt it."

WHAT I SAW

The behind the scenes footage was shown during the part with Keanu. We saw the mansion scene, in which Neo (armed with a sword) fights off a person with a sword + shield, a person with a trident, and a person with a stave/pike/halberd thingy. This is similar to the ET footage but it shows a little more of the opponents. Their weapons are incredible, very medieval. Most of them wore black and the person with the sword/shield seemed to be a woman in a kind of white.

Then we were treated to another part, with what looked like a mess hall, wooden tables in a row in a medieval style building, though maybe it was more akin to the dojo in the first movie. On the tables, Neo sparred with an opponent that looked of asian descent with a white cloth outfit. Neo was in his trenchcoat. They would trade blows and the opponent would jump and do a quad-kick like Neo did in the dojo scene in The Matrix, and Neo would block these kicks as the both of them jumped the gap backwards onto the next table. Then they traded blows again, and repeated the jump/quad-kick/block onto the third table.

Anyway I hope that's of some interest to you. It should be repeated regularly through the week on Australia's payTV Channel [V] so keep an eye out for it.


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SOUNDTRACK CONTRIBUTIONS
Source: <The Matrix Online>

Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar are included on at least one of the soundtracks, it is rumored that it'll be the Reloaded soundtrack.
Also within the last few days it has been announced that Irish Dance Act "Hedrock Valley Beats" are contributing two tracks to the second movie's soundtrack.
Musician Paul Oakenfold (who contributed to "Swordfish" and "Planet of the Apes") revealed in Hamburg he has done three tracks for the soundtrack. (I'm personally very excited about this - Code 808)
Rob Dougan mentioned in an interview that he is working on a "sequel" to "Clubbed to Death" that will be on the Revolutions soundtrack.


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NONA GAYE WILL PLAY ZEE
Source: <MatrixFans.net>
Thanks to: <Movieheadlines>

MatrixFans.net got a report from Moviehole. Not Alicia Silverstone (which was an incredibly odd rumour) but Nona Gaye will replace Aaliyah and play the role of Zee:

"The net is already a buzz with news that Nona Gaye might be stepping into the role of Zee (the Aalyiah role) for THE MATRIX RELOADED, so thought I might as well cement this rumour after hanging onto dear life with this beauty for the good part of a week. Well I can confirm this. I've known for several days, but decided to lay off until something more concrete came through. Gaye stepped off the plane on Monday, and will be filming her scenes from next week onwards."

Nona Gaye also played Belinda Ali, Muhammad Ali's second wife, in Michael Mann's Ali with Will Smith.

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TEASER TRAILER WITH STARWARS?
Source: <Dark Horizons> by 'Hargon'

Often, FOX will send out forms to their exhibitors indicating which trailers will come either 'attached' or 'loose in the can' to their upcoming film prints when they're shipped out. In the latest document, the entry for "Star Wars: Episode II" was updated to include word that a third "Minority Report" preview (no surprise there) will be attached, and quite out of the blue - a teaser for "The Matrix Reloaded" will come with the print. By 'loose' though it means not all cinemas will screen it so pick carefully. The same form also revealed a copy of "Sin Eater" & "Road to Perdition" previews will come 'loose' with prints of "Minority Report".

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AALIYAH REPLACEMENT RUMOURS
Source: <Movieheadlines>
Thanks to: <CountingDown>

According to Movieheadlines:
"Sci/Fi Twilight magazine reports that one-time clueless star, Alicia Silverstone, is taking over the role Aalyiah was going to play in Matrix Reloaded. No idea on how the race difference would chance character if at all..

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2 NEW INTERVIEWS
Source: <Whatisthematrix>

The Official site posted an interview with costume cutter Gloria Bava who's working on the costumes for the sequels. Here's a short clip:

MATRIX: For the first film you worked on Neo’s and Morpheus’s costumes, how has your role changed on this production?

GLORIA: There are so many more characters in these films, it’s such a much bigger production, so I have a bigger workload, basically. There are more lead characters and I’m responsible for the [male] leads, so I’ve got more costumes to make. Also, for each person they have more repeats on this one - there are a lot more stunts and things happening, so there tends to be five or six of every costume. The budget is bigger as well, so they have money to make more costumes for each character. I’m involved with the fittings as well. Being in charge of the men’s department, I have to go into the fitting room a lot and oversee any problems with costumes, or deal with the fittings. I then instruct notes to be written up for each character, what the alterations have to be, and then put them in action in the work room by giving the people in the work room the actual work to do, explaining how the alterations have to be done.

MATRIX: What kinds of fabrics have you been working with for the sequels?

GLORIA: The fabrics this time around, again because it is such a big production, are more of everything, and more variation of everything. I think every type of material has been covered in the sequels. We’ve got everything from wools to plastics to synthetic type materials, to natural fibers and leathers, vinyls, PVCs, even things like wet suit fabric and foams. There are a lot of really nice expensive woolen fabrics for the men’s coats, some really beautiful materials. Kym picked all the linings for the men’s coats, all the linings in those coats are vintage linings, original ones you can’t get anymore. There’d be pieces of fabric rolled up, 5 meters of lining, for example and I’d have to try to make five coats and put that inside and make sure they lasted. There are some really interesting materials, hopefully you’ll see them in the film.

For more Gloria click <here>

They also interviewed Matthew Rutter, one of many Matrix Extra's:

MATRIX: After make up and wardrobe you went over to the set; there were over 900 people on set that day, did you expect there to be so many?

MATTHEW: We’d been there the day before, so we knew roughly how many people there were, although we didn’t actually get to see all of the people until we got there and we got to look around more. There were loads of people, it was quite unbelievable, like having a football match.

MATRIX: You briefly met the Directors and some of the actors; what was it like getting to meet them on set?

MATTHEW: It was really good, actually. You get to see them and the crew in ‘The Making of THE MATRIX’; at the end of the video you see most of the crew walking around… so even the crew is famous. It was wonderful, it was really good. I even got to meet some of the cast, which was really cool, although I didn’t get to speak to them as much as I would have liked, but I suppose it’s like that with everybody.

MATRIX: Did you have the opportunity to see some of the footage on the playback monitor on set?

MATTHEW: John Trunk, the Video Assist man, showed me what I’d done later on. That was really cool because there was more than one camera angle. I think there were two or three because there was a crane, and there was also a standing one as well. So that was good because we got to see two different angles of the scene.

MATRIX: What would you say the atmosphere was like on set?

MATTHEW: It’s funny because it’s almost like you’re working. When you finish the scene it’s like, "Yeah, we all did a good job, wahoo!" and everybody is really happy. None of the crew were angry if we did the scene wrong at all, which I don’t think we did. I think that because it’s such a big film, everybody wanted to get it right every time, just to make it really good. It was really big, the noise was… I suppose it would be like a football match when everybody is cheering, it would be just like that… or a rock concert I suppose.

For more Matthew click <here>

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MOTORCYCLE
Source: <CountingDown>

It appears that Keanu Reeves will be riding a Harley in the Matrix Reloaded. And if you live in Australia (or are willing to travel there), you can check it out. According to the Sydney Morning Herald:
Last week, a new exhibition, Two wheeled warriors: a history of Harley-Davidson in Australia, began at the Powerhouse Museum. Though more than 20 classic motorcycles are on display from a 1930 Peashooter racing bike to the $32,000 V-Rod ridden by Keanu Reeves in the forthcoming Matrix 2, it's designed to appeal to more than revheads.

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SHORT DETAILS
Thanks to: <The Matrix Online>

Nerje from The Matrix Online got an email from an insider with some possibly interesting short details (nothing official, of course).

According to the insider, One of the ships is known as the Vigilant. The insider thinks it's probably the ship that Steve Bastoni's character is captain of. Although we already know that Steve Bastoni will play a goodguy, I personally have doubts that he will play the captain of a ship. It is confirmed that Roy Jones Jr. will play a captain (Captain Ballard) and also Nathaniel Lees is rumoured to have a captain's role. Including Morpheus this would mean there are four ships in the sequels, which is, in my opinion, a lot. But hey who knows!

Another rumour is that Trinity is in the lucky position of owning a flying motorcycle. All I can say is, why not? They would show us a world where anything is possible.

The last detail is that one of the main characters seems to be known as Ghost. And no, it's not Michael Jackson. Hopefully we can delete some question marks in the <cast> section soon.

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INSIDER REPORT
Thanks to: <Moviehole>

Moviehole mailed in this report from a Matrix-set insider:

This one was too good to sit on folks, hence the slightly earlier post. Our man on the inside 'The Inside-Man' is involved with the Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Now while a lot of his report is quite hush-hush, so never the less I sent him on a mission to see what's going on over at The Matrix set. Our spy, who will be on-set til June, tells us it's "going ok". "Shooting both films simultaneously, but 99% of the work on "Matrix Reloaded" complete", 'Inside' tells us.
"Heaps to go on "Matrix Revolutions", but amazingly, only about a week behind schedule after over a year of filming! (That, by the way, is a fucking miracle and a testament to the Wachowski's. Most films of this nature would be about three/four months behind schedule", he adds. (This would deny the rumours of last week that the shooting actually is four months behind schedule, as you can read <here> - Code 808) "All main cast are working away (Fishburne, Jada, Hugo, Carrie-Ann, and Keanu), and stacks of Aussies as well (Lachy Hulme, Clayton Watson, Chris Kirby, David Roberts, Robert Mammone, Anthony Wong)", our main discovers.
It's believed that Lachy Hulme's part is minute but he will be starring in the video game with Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong. "It is the best role in the Matrix universe. The game is a HUGE fucking production in itself, and stars Hulme Jada, and Anthony Wong. They've finished the SFX part of it (that took four months) and now they've got 1st and 2nd unit stuff to shoot, which goes till June" says our man. Apparently there's also a certain lead actor whose not winning any fans with the rest of the cast or crew - mainly because he can't act. Thanks to our man on the inside 'The Inside-Man'. Now get back behind that bush!

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TEASER TRAILER
Thanks to: <The Matrix Online>

There is a high chance that the Teaser Trailer for The Matrix Reloaded will be released together with the new Sci-Fi flick from Steven Spielberg: Minority Report. The main character will be played by Tom Cruise who - according to the webpage - is in a bit of a hurry. The film is planned to arrive in theaters in June this year. European Matrixfans will have to wait a few months longer, Minority Report will be released in Europe on October 3rd.

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© 2002 Code 808