Lilly Wachowski, one half of the directing duo behind the original The Matrix, was on a Television Critics Association panel for her Showtime series
Work in Progress, which she produced and co-wrote with co-creators
Abby McEnany, who stars, and
Tim Mason, who directs. After the panel, /Film had a chance to ask her about Warner Bros.’ next
Matrix movie, which has been in the works for a
couple of years.
Lilly co-created, co-wrote, and co-directed the original Matrix trilogy alongside her sister
Lana Wachowski, and while Lilly confirmed that she’s not involved with the new Matrixmovie, she did say that she hopes it can improve upon the 1999 film that started it all.
Lilly Wachowski Won’t Be Involved
A
misunderstanding in an interview with former The Matrix stunt performer
Chad Stahelski caused people to think the Wachowskis might be involved with the new version, perhaps in a producing capacity, but Stahelski later clarified he was speaking hypothetically and didn’t know if the Wachowskis would actually be involved or not.
Today, Lilly Wachowski confirmed she was committed to
Work in Progress and wouldn’t have time to jack back into
The Matrix.
“Well, I’m a little busy at the moment,” she told /Film.
That makes sense. The Wachowskis got to make their trilogy the way they wanted, and they’ve been creating new projects since, including the Netflix show
Sense8 and now
Work in Progress. There’s been a lot of misinformation floating around about their potential involvement with a reboot or continuation, so it’s nice to have some direct confirmation.
She Thinks The New Matrix Could Be Better
The Matrix was a personal film for the Wachowskis. It was their first blockbuster, thus earning them the Hollywood clout to make two sequels and other films like
Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and
Jupiter Ascending. The Matrix trilogy was also a philosophical statement that allowed them to explore the nature of choice and the experience of reality.
It’s been 20 years since the first film debuted – you can
listen to the /Filmcast’s retrospective episode about it here – and Lilly Wachowski supports Warner Bros. trying a new take on
The Matrix. After all, most Hollywood franchises change hands at some point.
“I like it when stories go out into the world and then come back to you in different ways,” Wachowski said. “I mean, that’s what storytelling is all about. I’m part of a bigger thing. I don’t have any ownership over stuff like that, so whatever story anybody wants to tell, I can’t wait to hear. I hope it’s better than the original.”
Lily Adler#forthecontent! 📹 (she/her)
