“The Matrix” Sequels To Be Filmed In Australia

Warner Bros. Pictures Announces Plans To Film “The Matrix” Sequels In Australia

Burbank, CA, April 2 – Producer Joel Silver and directors Larry and Andy Wachowski will shoot sequels to their groundbreaking, Academy Award-winning blockbuster “The Matrix” in Australia, it was announced today by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, President of Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“We had a terrific experience shooting ‘The Matrix’ in Australia,” Lorenzo di Bonaventura said. “We look forward to reteaming with our partners from Village Roadshow, and returning to the state-of-the-art facilities and incredible locations in Sydney to shoot the sequels in collaboration with the talented local production crew and with the cooperation of the Australian government.”

“This is wonderful news because it’s return business,” said Bob Carr, the Sydney-based Premier of New South Wales. “‘The Matrix’ was the first big international production to come to our new Sydney studios. Now the sequels will be shot here as well. That’s a great vote of confidence in our crews, our locations and our facilities. It confirms our position as a leading film-making destination.”

After completing preliminary photography in California, the production will be based at the Fox Studios in Sydney. “The Matrix” sequels will film on location in Sydney with the support and assistance of the Federal Government, the State Government of New South Wales, N.S.W. State Premier Bob Carr, and the Office of State and Regional Development.

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving will reprise their roles from “The Matrix.” Also returning will be Australian producer Andrew Mason, as well as numerous local crew members and award-winning technicians from the original “Matrix” production.

The highly acclaimed action thriller won four Academy Awards, became the fastest-selling DVD on record at the time of its release, and has accumulated the biggest box office in Warner Bros. Pictures’ history – over $450 million worldwide.

“The Matrix” sequels, presented by Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment, are scheduled to begin production in Sydney in September 2001. The films will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and, in select territories, by Village Roadshow Pictures.

Village Roadshow Pictures is the Motion Picture Production division of Village Roadshow Limited, an international entertainment company whose operations also include Cinema Exhibition, Film Distribution, Radio and Theme Parks. Village Roadshow Pictures co-produces ten to twelve titles annually with major studio partners.

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