Related News & Articles

Warner Bros. Lends In Trouble Over 'Matrix Resurrections' Day-and-Date HBO Max Release Hollywood
views

Warner Bros. Lends In Trouble Over 'Matrix Resurrections' Day-and-Date HBO Max Release

Los Angeles, February 8 - Last year, Walt Disney company faced the heat over Scarlett Johansson's "Black Widow's" day-and-date Disney+ release, which reportedly cost Disney a whopping $40 million to settle the lawsuit filed against it. And now, the same is happening with Warner Bros.## Village Roadshow Pictures, the producers of the recently released science fiction action film, "The Matrix Resurrections", has sued Warner Bros. for breaching the contract. The Keanu Reeves-fronted movie was released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously in December last year, which is the reason behind the lawsuit. ## Village Roadshow Pictures has alleged that Warner Bros. is prioritizing HBO Max to increase streamer's popularity at the cost of movies box office revenue. ## "WB's sole purpose in moving the release date of The Matrix Resurrections forward was to create a desperately needed wave of year-end HBO Max premium subscriptions from what it knew would be a blockbuster film, despite knowing full well that it would decimate the film's box office revenue and deprive Village Roadshow of any economic upside that WB and its affiliates would enjoy, especially as compared to a 2022 exclusive theatrical release", states the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ## Warner Bros. said in a statement, "This is a frivolous attempt by Village Roadshow to avoid their contractual commitment to participate in the arbitration that we commenced against them last week. We have no doubt that this case will be resolved in our favor".## The production company alleged that "The Matrix Resurrections" was supposed to release in 2022, but was moved up by Warner Bros. to boost HBO Max's subscribers. The day-and-date release of The Matrix sequel really put a massive dent in its box office potential as the movie grossed only $37 million domestically. It is also causing huge losses to actors, producers, and other financial partners whose revenue depends on the film's box office numbers. ## Warner Bros. renegotiated contracts tied to box office performance when it announced that it would put its entire slate of 2021 movies onto HBO Max and in theaters. However, according to THR, the lawsuit said no such deal was reached with Village Roadshow over Matrix Resurrections, adding that the rushed release caused it to be rampantly pirated, further hurting its box office returns. ## Stay tuned...

Jessica Henwick Almost Quit Acting Before Landing 'Matrix' Role Hollywood
views

Jessica Henwick Almost Quit Acting Before Landing 'Matrix' Role

London, Dec 30 (IANS) Actress Jessica Henwick has shared that she was in a "weird space" prior to finding stardom and almost gave up on her acting dreams just before taking on the role of Bugs in 'The Matrix Resurrections'.## She said: "I just took a second to think, 'Am I doing this because I still want to do it and I love it, or am I doing this because it's what I'm used to?' And so, I stopped and I decided to get out of town and I bought a one-way ticket to France. And then, I just started walking".## The 'Knives Out 2' star took herself on a 40-day hike in an effort to clear her head when in-between acting roles, just before receiving the offer to star alongside Keanu Reeves in the latest 'Matrix' movie, reports femalefirst.co.uk.## She told Film: "I just started hiking and I was halfway through a 40-day hike. I turned on my phone, it was near my birthday and I wanted to tell everyone I was alive, and I got an email saying, 'Would you like to audition for the Matrix?' And I just said no, because I hadn't finished the hike and I hadn't come to an answer yet of what I wanted to do in my life.## "I turned it down. (So I) made a self-tape, flew to America a couple of days later, tested with Yahya (Abdul-Mateen II, who plays a "completely different" version of Morpheus in 'The Matrix Resurrections'), and had the phone call from (director) Lana Wachowski a few days after that".## Meanwhile, Henwick recently revealed she took a part in 'Knives Out 2' so she could study Rian Johnson's filmmaking style.## She will appear in the murder mystery sequel and admits that she was desperate to get his advice as she was helming a short film at the time.## She said: "The main reason I really signed on was that I actually wanted to study him. I was directing a short film ('Bus Girl') at the same time, which he very kindly was able to take a break in the schedule for me to fly home, shoot and then fly back to set.## "So he let me shadow him on and off throughout production, and he gave me directing advice. So it was just the best time".## Henwick explained how she has been a fan of Rian since watching his directorial debut 'Brick' during a film class and revealed that the director was "morally obliged" to cast her in the 'Knives Out' sequel after she was cut from his film 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'.## The 'Underwater' actress recalled: "When I was a teenager, I watched 'Brick' in school and I loved it. So I wrote (Rian Johnson) a fan email, and he never responded.## "Cut to seven years later, I'm in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', and I'm meant to go back to 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. But Rian cuts me out of the project!"## She continued: "Cut to this year, I finally got sent this script and I was like, 'Put me in coach. Give me a Zoom. I don't care if I get it. I just want to speak to Rian'. So I revealed all of this to him. I was like, 'I have a bone to pick with you!' And of course, he was forced - he was morally obligated - to cast me in 'Knives Out'."## Stay tuned...

Jessica Henwick on Priyanka Chopra: She's very talented, professional, stylish Hollywood
views

Jessica Henwick on Priyanka Chopra: She's very talented, professional, stylish

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) British star Jessica Henwick has heaped praise on her 'The Matrix Ressurections' co-star Priyanka Chopra Jonas and called her very professional, talented and stylish.## Reminiscing about meeting Priyanka on the sets of the film, starring Keanu Reeves, Henwick in a conversation with IANS said: "I love her. She is so sweet. Bless her, her first day on set was not easy." ## The 29-year-old actress said that Priyanka had to deliver a 10-page monologue, which she described as not easy. ## "They (makers) gave her like a 10-page monologue and it was just her talking in front of us and she knocked out the part she absolutely smashed it. She is very talented, professional, very stylish and very lovely," Henwick added. ## Henwick's filmography boasts of projects such as 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', 'On the Rocks', 'Love and Monsters' and 'Game of Thrones' to name a few. ## How different was to work on a film like 'The Matrix Ressurections'? ## "How different: A lot of the worlds I have played in have to give thanks to the Matrix.. The Matrix changed film and style music and the lexicon.. It impacted everything so... Yes, it is different but I am sure a lot of my work has been paying homage to the Matrix. ## Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, the film also stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Lambert Wilson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris. ##

IANS Review: 'The Matrix Resurrections': Astutely mounted yet peculiar (IANS Rating: ***) Hollywood
views

IANS Review: 'The Matrix Resurrections': Astutely mounted yet peculiar (IANS Rating: ***)

There has been an aura of obsession and nostalgia with the Matrix franchise ever since the first film in 1999. Thence we have had two other Matrix films in quick succession, which were released in 2003. ## 'The Matrix Resurrections' is the fourth film of its franchise and is the sequel to its last release, 'The Matrix Revolutions,' which hit theatres nearly 18 years ago. ## This film caters to its fan base, and thus, those who are not initiated into the Matrix universe would find themselves in an alien world, not knowing what is happening on screen. ## With events taking place nearly two decades after 'Revolutions', and unlike its trilogy where the future of humanity was being threatened, this film feels more of a love story within its action drama. ## At the core of the narrative are the resurrected Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who are hidden within the code and kept on a short leash. This is done to prevent them from getting together and causing another system collapse. ## But when a group of humans from the outside world led by a blue-haired gunslinger named Bugs (Jessica Henwick), discovers that Thomas Anderson, a world-famous video designer working at Deux Machina, is actually the legendary Neo and that he is still alive, they try to break him out of the matrix and seek his help to once again save humanity. ## But Neo, after meeting Trinity by happenstance insists that the group's priority must be to rescue Trinity who, is oblivious of her past and now lives with her three children and a husband. Since she can get out of the Matrix through her own free will, Neo has to remind her of who she once was and the love that they shared. ## The plot is complex, convoluted, and at times amateurish, with an over-explanation of events from the past. Despite its brisk pacing, subtlety is not a strong point in the film. There is footage from the trilogy that appears often also, at one stage, there is a group of creative directors discussing what the Matrix is all about. ## As for the action sequences, the film boasts of chaotic car chases, gunfights, and gravity-defying stunts, but all of them offer nothing extraordinary in terms of experiences. There is an over-abundance and overuse of special effects that, at some point, get irritating. ## The fights are poorly mounted, and with the ridiculous number of cuts, the scenes appear absurdly choppy even if you ignore that, the choreography itself seems languid and sluggish. ## As for the performances, the chemistry between Reeves and Moss is palpable, but not in the same way that one had witnessed in the previous Matrix films. Here their engagement is soft and endearing. ## Priyanka Chopra is confidence personified and striking in a small part, essaying Sati, a role earlier portrayed by Tanveer K. Atwal. ## All others in the supporting cast have loads of fun with their characters and have their moments of on-screen glory. ## Overall, the film despite being astutely and impressively staged seems to be a bit chaotic and peculiar. ## Film: 'The Matrix Resurrections' (Showing in theatres); Duration: 148 minutes ## Director: Lana Wachowski ## Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci, Lambert Wilson ## IANS Rating: *** ## Review By: Troy Ribeiro ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned to us.