Most of the time when schedules dont match up initially, movie productions get pushed back to accommodate all of the films stars. With new top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com. He chatted about that, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and more. The film's incorporation of wire fu techniques, including the involvement of fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and other personnel with a background in Hong Kong action cinema, affected the approaches to fight scenes taken by subsequent Hollywood action films,[180] moving them towards more Eastern approaches. "[115] Darren Aronofsky commented, "I walked out of The Matrix and I was thinking, 'What kind of science fiction movie can people make now?' Weaving's first television role was in the 1984 Australian television series Bodyline, as the English cricket captain Douglas Jardine. So, yes, Lana was very keen for me to be involved in The Matrix. The film popularized a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed, allowing the sped-up movements of certain characters to be perceived normally. Sadly, that doesn't look to be the case for the eagerly-anticipated film set to arrive next month. [123][124] The Matrix also received BAFTA awards for Best Sound and Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects, in addition to nominations in the cinematography, production design and editing categories. In a nutshell, that's what happened," he concluded. Bigger actors at the time like Jean Reno and "Priscilla" co-star Guy Pearce also turned Agent Smith down due to the time commitment. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. With plot details for The Matrix 4 under wraps, there's no way to say for certainwhether Smith was a part of the story but has since been written out entirely, or if another actor will bring the character to life in the film. Would it have been nice to see Hugo Weaving get to ham it up as Agent Smith again? He also reprised his roles of Agent Smith and Elrond in Matrix and Lord of the Rings video game adaptations. [41], It has been suggested that this article should be, Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Barlow and Chambers: A Long Way From Home, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor Series, Miniseries or Television Film, AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast, National Board of Review Award for Best Cast, Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, "Meet the listener: Anne Lennard, wartime evacuee, "Hugo Weaving Profile: Biography, Filmography & Photos", "Schools In Sydney - NSW Schools - Private Schools Sydney - Find a School", "V for Vendetta': Reel and real events resonate for star Natalie Portman", "I Was Fired From The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Was I Awful? He would've done Elrond before or after ; it just would've been understood he was premium local talent. "[15] In 2022, The Matrix was determined the most popular tech-themed movie in the United States using search volume data. [171][172] It was also the defining game mechanic of the game Superhot and its sequels. Unsurprisingly, Fishburne was asked why he wasnt a part of the fourth Matrix movie during those conversations and his answers have been mindblowing and simple. The latest movie news, trailers, reviews, and more. Nathan remarked that although the film's "looney plot" would not stand up to scrutiny, that was not a big flaw because "The Matrix is about pure experience". Related: Where Did Yahya Abdul Mateen II Go To School And Is He An Alpha? [69] For example, Reeves's office costume was designed for Thomas Anderson to look uncomfortable, disheveled, and out of place. 2010 also saw the release of Legend of the Guardians (formerly The Guardians of Ga'Hoole), in which Weaving has another high-profile voice role,[15] portraying two different owls named Noctus and Grimble in Zack Snyder's film adaptation of Kathryn Lasky's popular series of children's books. Since he played the primary antagonist in the original Matrix trilogy, Hugo Weaving will forever be closely associated with the franchise. The machines had to amend their choice of programming in order to make people subservient to them, and so they conceived the Matrix in the image of the world in 1999. Kant states in his Critique of Pure Reason that people come to know and explore our world through synthetic means (language, etc. Because the cameras circle the subject almost completely in most of the sequences, computer technology was used to edit out the cameras that appeared in the background on the other side. He returned to the stage in November 2010 in Sydney Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya, co-starring Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh. [141] The action scenes of The Matrix were also strongly influenced by live-action films such as those of director John Woo. In March 2017, Warner Bros. was in early stages of developing a relaunch of the franchise with Zak Penn in talks to write a treatment and interest in getting Michael B. Jordan attached to star. This means people are their own agents of deceit, and so in order for them to know truth, they must choose to openly pursue truth. Even though The Matrix franchise was willing to exclude an actor early on, nobody expected the franchises main stars to be left behind. The fight scenes in Fist of Legend led to the hiring of Yuen as fight choreographer. In addition to The Lord of the Rings, Hugo Weaving also makes his money on films like: The Matrix, Captain America: First Avenger, & V For Vendetta, among others. John Kenneth Muir in The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television called the film a "revolutionary" reimagination of movie visuals, paving the way for the visuals of later superhero films, and credits it with helping to "make comic-book superheroes hip" and effectively demonstrating the concept of "faster than a speeding bullet" with its bullet time effect. Im asking for recs from people who have seen him in any of those movies so I dont have to watch every single one. [35] The Wachowskis therefore hired underground comic book artists Geof Darrow and Steve Skroce to draw a 600-page, shot-by-shot storyboard for the entire film. In a nutshell, that's what happened." Weaving landed his first major role as English cricket captain Douglas Jardine on the Australian television series Bodyline (1984). In September 2022, Danny Boyle was announced to be directing a dance adaptation of the film, titled "Free Your Mind", and it is set to debut in October 2023 in Manchester, U.K.[201], This article is about the 1999 film. The original Tron (1982) paved the way for The Matrix, and The Matrix, in turn, inspired Disney to make its own Matrix with a Tron sequel, Tron: Legacy (2010). I'm serious. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work for the film and its villain, much to Weaving's disappointment. The reason for that is the actor who portrayed Tank in The Matrix wanted too much money to return for the sequels. I have the same questions about Carrie Anne Moss. [55], To prepare for the scene in which Neo wakes up in a pod, Reeves lost 15 pounds and shaved his whole body to give Neo an emaciated look. Then again, it's possible this new film involves time-travel and the original plan was for a pre-Matrix trilogy Smith to appear (with Weaving getting some CGI de-aging to playthe role) in scenes set in the past, alongside characters like The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and, rumor has it, a young Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen's supposed role). [40], Weaving also has a brother and a sister. I really wanted to know why we were doing it and what's to be gained, apart from making money." After the world learned that Laurence Fishburne wasnt going to appear in The Matrix Resurrections, he took part in several interviews. WhileSmith's story seemingly ended with Revolutions, the same could be said for Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and yet the latter pair are now confirmed to return in the upcoming Matrix 4. The scene was shot successfully a few days later, with Reeves using only three takes. He explained that director Lana Wachowski actually wanted him back for the revival, but said that the studio and his talent agency could not come to an agreement on his contract. Even though the first movie ends with Neo (Keanu Reeves) seeminglykilling him for good, filmmakers Lana and Lily Wachowski seemed to realize how much they'd struck gold with the character. For that reason, it will always seem odd that Weaving didn't return for The Matrix Resurrections. Childhood & Early Life. The Matrix draws from and alludes to numerous cinematic and literary works, and concepts from mythology, religion and philosophy, including the ideas of Buddhism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Hinduism, and Judaism. [76], The Matrix was released on DVD and Laserdisc in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on September 21, 1999, in the US from Warner Home Video as well as in a cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio in Hong Kong from ERA Home Entertainment. My mining for Hugo Weaving info would certainly benefit from my own research, but Im having some wine on a Friday and putting my HBOMax subscription to work. Is Hugo Weaving in 'The Matrix 4'? However, in this case, the fact that Mateen II was cast as a version of Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections was a problem for the film. [2][3][1] His maternal grandmother was Belgian. Not really true about reeves. "[11] In 2012, Weaving said to Collider: "It was one of the only things I've ever done where I had no knowledge of it, I didn't care about it, I didn't think about it. While there have been glimpses of Agent activity in the preview, one prime suspect is Neil Patrick Harris' character known simply as The Analyst. [187] In 2007, Entertainment Weekly called The Matrix the best science-fiction piece of media for the past 25 years. When he got to read the script for "Resurrections" (and got to do a table reading with Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss), he claimed in another interviewthat "I loved a lot of it and wasn't sure about other bits. You can see they argued it out!". [a] It is the first installment in The Matrix film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano, and depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a . In the end, the script was rewritten so that Agent Smith had been essentially upgraded. Although the film has the potential to give Trinity a far better ending than she got in Revolutions and allow Neo to pass the title of "The One" onto another character (rumor has it Jessica Henwick is playing a "female Neo" in the movie), there doesn't seem to be a whole lot let to do with Smith as a character at this point. Using this momentum, they later asked to direct The Matrix. Neo is revived, with newfound abilities to perceive and control the Matrix; he easily defeats Smith, prompting the other Agents to flee and he leaves the Matrix just as the ship's electromagnetic pulse disables the Sentinels. DFilm managed scenes that required heavy use of digital compositing, such as Neo's jump off a skyscraper and the helicopter crash into a building. He played the role of the Elf-lord Elrond of Rivendell in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001 - 2003) and later The Hobbit film trilogy (2012 - 2014). [169] In an interview with Variety, Reeves said he did not know the film was an allegory for transgender identity during production. He wasnt a megastar before The Matrix? I loved a lot of it and wasnt sure about other bits. I'm very insecure' Rhik Samadder The actor, 54, on a lifetime of epilepsy, the secret to a successful relationship and. But since the time I did my first article I finally watched the MATRIX trilogy and you know what, Hugo Weaving would've been the perfect man for the part! The Matrix seemed fresh and cool and visually breathtaking; making wonderful, intelligent use of CGI to augment the on-screen action, striking a perfect balance of the real and the hyperreal. It was also used in the subsequent films, on the related website, and in the game The Matrix: Path of Neo, and its drop-down effect is reflected in the design of some posters for the Matrix series. There's also "Mindhunter"star Jonathan Groff, briefly seen sitting across from our hero discussing his return to "The Matrix." While working for all of those websites, Matthew has been able to cover a variety of subjects he is very passionate about including movies, TV shows, comics, and wrestling. The Nigerian-born English actor stated in an interview with Time Out London that he was unable to appear in the film due to a prior theater commitment. [65], The Nebuchadnezzar was designed to have a patched-up look, instead of clean, cold and sterile space ship interior sets as used on productions such as Star Trek. Back in the Matrix, Neo makes a telephone call, promising the machines that he will show their prisoners "a world where anything is possible." [8] The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes was influenced by Japanese animation[9] and martial arts films, and the film's use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced subsequent Hollywood action film productions. ), and thus this makes it rather difficult to discern truth from falsely perceived views. This is a cool thing because it's an excellent reminder that art is never static. [53], The filmmakers originally planned to shoot the subway scene in an actual subway station, but the complexity of the fight and related wire work required shooting the scene on a set. Later when The Matrix Resurrections was released, most fans were disappointed which begs an obvious question, was the movie ruined due to Fishburne and Weavings absence? For the "real world", the actors' hair was less styled, their clothing had more textile content, and the cinematographers used longer lenses to soften the backgrounds and emphasize the actors. His father's work took him to different places from time to time, and . On 4 May 2010, it was officially confirmed by Marvel Studios that Weaving would play the fictional Nazi Red Skull in the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger. But then the movie came out and Agent Smith was in fact still there, just played by the (perfectly acceptable) Jonathan Groff. Share your own memories of the 1999 sci-fi action movie, which celebrates a big birthday this weekend. The actor was Agent. [25], Yuen let their body style develop and then worked with each actor's strength. [166] In the original script, Switch was a woman in the Matrix and a man in the real world, but this idea was ultimately dropped. A four-month course, nine to five Mondays through . Although the condition rarely affected him and stopped in his early 30s, he still chooses not to drive, given the risk of a seizure. I'm not sure how many more of them I'll make. Everything I've done since then has been because of that experience. the actor who portrayed Tank in The Matrix wanted too much money to return, 20 Secrets Behind The Making Of The Matrix Trilogy, Jessica Henwick already showed up in Star Wars and the MCU, Neil Patrick Harris played a new character in The Matrix Resurrections. [130] A resemblance to the eery worlds of Swiss artist H.R. Very much at home in Australia with his wife Katrina and their two children Harry and Holly, the actor refuels his love of acting by returning to the stage as much as possible. He was the second of the three children in the family. [47] Barrett sometimes used three types of fabric for each costume, and also had to consider the practicality of the acting. [20] In April, months of speculation finally ended when Weaving appeared on The Hobbit's New Zealand set, shortly before a production spokesman officially confirmed the actor's return as Elrond in Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy to The Lord of the Rings. On 13 March 2011, The Key Man, which Weaving filmed in 2006, finally debuted at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. [64] This code uses a custom typeface designed by Simon Whiteley,[39] which includes mirror images of half-width kana characters and Western Latin letters and Arabic numerals. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss returned as Neo and Trinity for The Matrix Resurrections, but Hugo Weaving didn't as Agent Smith - here's why. [85] It then debuted on both VHS and DVD formats in the UK on November 29, 1999. As much as I think "Resurrections" was a satisfying, necessary conclusion to the series, it's still a movie with a lot of elements that might rub any normal person the wrong way. In addition to Davis' score, The Matrix soundtrack also features music from acts such as Rammstein, Rob Dougan, Rage Against the Machine, Propellerheads, Ministry, Lunatic Calm, Deftones, Monster Magnet, The Prodigy, Rob Zombie, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Marilyn Manson. Either one feels like a realpossibility;although Smithappeared to have been wiped out for good by the end of the original trilogy, he could return with a new shell in The Matrix 4, much like the Oracle did in Revolutions (when Mary Alice took over the role after Gloria Foster passed away). Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews, The Leading Source for Gaming News, Reviews, and Interviews, Matrix Resurrections: Why Hugo Weaving Didn't Return As Agent Smith, Why Agent Smith Saves Neo & Trinity From The Analyst, How The Matrix Resurrections Justifies Its Controversial Recastings. In response, Fishburne explained he wasnt involved in that decision. With these highly detailed collected data, the team were able to create virtual cinematography in which characters, locations, and events can all be created digitally and viewed through virtual cameras, eliminating the restrictions of real cameras. [167], In a 2016 GLAAD Media Awards speech, Lilly Wachowski said: "Theres a critical eye being cast back on Lana and I's (sic) work through the lens of our transness. [192] As of 2021, the verb "pill" and adjective "pilled" had entered more mainstream use and had come to mean developing a sudden interest in something. In February 2010, Weaving revealed to The Age: "Director Michael Bay talks to me on the phone. [48] Locations for these scenes included Martin Place's fountain in Sydney, half-way between it and the adjacent Colonial Building, and the Colonial Building itself. Cause he did the best Carl Sagan impression. At the time of this writing, it is not included with any subscription services but is available to rent or purchase digitally on most online stores. But he was still about as much of a star you could get, imo you could argue he was already the hottest (most in demand) movie star at the time he was casted. Warner Bros. Still, The Matrix Resurrections does setup a possible Matrix 5, so perhaps the original Weaving version of Smith could return for that. Unfortunately, two major returning characters were recast with new actors, those being Morpheus (with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II replacing Laurence Fishburne), and Agent Smith (with Jonathan Groff replacing Weaving). I immediately responded yes to that, and then we went into negotiation. [19] In March, the Sydney Theatre Company and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced that STC's 2010 production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya would be reprised in Washington, D.C., during the month of August. Though Weaving reprised his role in two sequels, he does not have much personal investment in the Transformers films. Morpheus warns Neo that death within the Matrix kills the physical body too and explains that the Agents are sentient programs that eliminate threats to the system, while machines called Sentinels eliminate rebels in the real world. [43] Prior to the pre-production, Reeves underwent a two-level fusion of his cervical (neck) spine due to spinal cord compression from a herniated disc ("I was falling over in the shower in the morning"). The film is considered to be among the greatest science fiction films of all time,[12][13][14] and in 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."[15]. Weaving recalled how The Matrix led him to working on other projects with Lana and Lilly Wachowski as well. [35] Amongst these possible allusions, it is suggested that the name of the character Trinity refers to Christianity's doctrine of the Trinity. [91], The franchise also contains three video games: Enter the Matrix (2003), which contains footage shot specifically for the game and chronicles events taking place before and during The Matrix Reloaded;[92] The Matrix Online (2004), an MMORPG which continued the story beyond The Matrix Revolutions;[93][94] and The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005), which focuses on Neo's journey through the trilogy of films. Hugo Weaving has played an almost absurd number of memorable characters in big-budget blockbusters over the years, but his role in the first three "Matrix" movies rises above them all. In particular, he praised the Wachowski sisters, who wrote and directed the three original films together. No one accepted the program. Entire crops [of people] were lost." It was scary, suspenseful, I followed the plot with great interest, thrilled and terrified from beginning to end. Unfortunately, Hugo Weaving will not appear in The Matrix Resurrections. The Real Reason Hugo Weaving Isn't In The Matrix Resurrections. The set was built around an existing train storage facility, which had real train tracks. [80][81], Manex also handled creature effects, such as Sentinels and machines in real world scenes; Animal Logic created the code hallway and the exploding Agent at the end of the film. Instead of firing the cameras simultaneously, the visual effect team fired the cameras fractions of a second after each other, so that each camera could capture the action as it progressed, creating a super slow-motion effect. The Matrix Resurrections is a 2021 American science fiction action film produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and being the first in Matrix franchise to be directed solely by Lana, without her sister, Lilly. Nonetheless, Weaving admitted there have been some components of Resurrections he wasn't utterly offered on. For that reason, it will always seem odd that Weaving didnt return for The Matrix Resurrections. The Matrix 4 is currently set to hit theaters on April 1, 2022. A team of Agents and police, led by Agent Smith, arrives at Neo's workplace in search of him. Disney Facing Dilemma On How To Move Black Panther Forward Without Chadwick Boseman, The Arrowverse Rebrands Into The CWverse In A New Superman & Lois Promo. [104] Overall, it was the third-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time, just after Saving Private Ryan and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. So wed sorted the dates and then she sort of changed her mind". His frequent stage foil Pamela Rabe costarred. She answers a ringing public telephone and vanishes. Weaving appeared in the Australian miniseries The Dirtwater Dynasty in 1988 and as Geoffrey Chambers in the drama Barlow and Chambers: A Long Way From Home. Soon after, Neo is taken by Trinity to meet Morpheus, and she removes the bug from Neo. He hangs up and flies away. [103], In its original run, the film earned $171,479,930 (37.0%) in the United States and Canada and $292,037,453 (63.0%) in other countries, for a worldwide total of $463,517,383. More: How The Matrix Resurrections Justifies Its Controversial Recastings.