Neo & Trinity

The Wachowski brothers, Laurence and Andrew, didn’t come out of the blue with The Matrix, although it was their first hit. They came up with the idea for the trilogy while running a carpentry business in Chicago and writing comics. Most of their comic works were based on properties developed by author Clive Barker for Marvel Comics Razorline and EPIC comics. For example, the brothers wrote six issues of the Ectokid comic, about a 14-year-old whose father was a ghost and who can see a fantasy world through his left eye. The brothers’ first film work was Assassins (1995), which they wrote but did not direct (that duty went to Richard Donner). The final product has some differences from the original scriptthe violence was toned down and the main character was made more sympathetic, in order to appeal to a wider audience. The Wachowskis tried to take their name off the film, but the Writers Guild of America refused. However, producer Joel Smith later apologized to the brothers when offering them the chance to direct The Matrix. Bound (1996), the brothers’ directorial debut, was a dark and steamy neo-noir film about a woman (Jennifer Tilly) trapped in a relationship with a Mafioso. A mysterious female ex-con (Gina Gershon) appears and the two not only fall in love, but scheme to steal 2 million from her (now-ex)-boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). The film was compared to the Coen Brothers’ debut, 1984′s Blood Simple. While some considered this a flaw, most people were won over by the film’s dark comedy and style, as well as the realistically-depicted relationship between the two female main characters. The Wachowski’s next three films were the Matrix trilogy, along with the supplementary Animatrix. The two sequels and the animated film were released in 2003. Three years later, the Wachowskis returned to the filmmaking scene with the script for V for Vendetta (directed by James McTeigue). Based on the comic book series by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, this film imagined a dark dystopian world similar to that of George Orwell’s 1984. A freedom fighter named V. emerges amid the harshly-ordered world, hoping to start a revolution. The film starred Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, and John Hurt, and satisfied both old and new fans (except for creator Alan Moore, who publicly distanced himself from the production).In 2007, the Wachowskis did an uncredited rewrite for the film The Invasion, written by Dave Kajganich and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Their V for Vendetta collaborator, James McTeigue, did uncredited reshoots as well. The Invasion was the fourth adaptation of Jack Finney’s 1955 novel The Body Snatchers, about an alien life form that begins infecting humans.The brothers’ fifth directed film was Speed Racer in 2008. Based on the 1960s anime series, this was their first film for a family audience. However, the films blend of over-the-top CGI and racing action didn’t win over many viewers. The site IGN was one of the few reviewers to love the film, calling it “the moment when the Wachowskis went from wunderkind directors to true auteurs.”The Wachowskis only produced their latest film project, the ultra-violent Ninja Assassin. Written by Mathew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski, the film was directed once again by James McTeigue.