This topic is realtive Matrix 2 & 3 making.Please look out "(*** Spoilers ***)" in the title. And all of news items are here.

High-tech reload for Matrix

HOLLYWOOD -- For filmmakers Larry and Andy Wachowski, cyberspace is proving to be a scary environment.

The Wachowski brothers' 1999 science fiction thriller The Matrix was a runaway hit.

They are now in Australia filming two sequels with Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie Ann Moss reviving their roles.

Jada Pinkett, Hugo Weaving and Monica Bellucci have joined the cast of Matrix Reloaded and Matrix 3, which are scheduled for release in 2003 and 2004.

The films' producer, Joel Silver, says "cutting edge doesn't even begin to describe what the Wachowskis are creating."

He reveals the Wachowski brothers "are actually uncomfortable with the success of The Matrix. When they created that movie, they felt they had simply made a film that was groundbreaking.

"They had no idea it would become such a phenomenon."

The Wachowskis always conceived The Matrix as a trilogy, but they could not have anticipated the pressure they are now working under.

"All around them, Larry and Andy see movies that essentially carbon copied their effects and their ideas, so they feel the need to go far beyond where they were," says Silver, who produced the new horror film Thirteen Ghosts as a special-effects scarefest.

"They keep telling me that these next two movies are so expensive and such a complicated shoot that it could break them. They feel their reputations could be destroyed if these next two movies don't live up to people's expectations.

"As a result, we're trying to do what nobody has ever even dreamed of seeing."

Silver produced Jet Li's movie Romeo Must Die. Li was originally offered a role in The Matrix Reloaded, but he withdrew during early negotiations.

"Having made a picture with Jet Li, I saw the level and amount of preparation he puts into his fight sequences. Staggering as it may be, I can say Keanu is 10 times what Jet Li has ever given to the screen," insists Silver.

"Keanu is a machine. Jet will shoot the fight sequences in small pieces.

"Keanu wants to do the whole fight with no breaks. He is absolutely relentless. Like the Wachowskis, Keanu wants to deliver what no one has ever seen before."

Silver says he cannot reveal the plots of the sequels, but he points to one sequence as an example of what fans can expect.

"At the end of the first sequel, there is a car chase that takes place in the Matrix. It's just so beyond anything you could ever imagine because there are no laws, no rules in that computerized world."

One role that needs to be recast is that of singer Aaliyah Haughton, who died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on Aug. 25.

She was hired for The Matrix Reloaded after Silver worked with her in Romeo Must Die.

"Her death was a horrible, tragic accident. We're going to have to recast the role sooner or later. We're putting off the inevitable because her death is still a painful thing for all of us to deal with."

Silver says there is no footage of Aaliyah from The Matrix Reloaded.

"She had a great part, but she wasn't scheduled to start shooting her scenes until January, so she really didn't do anything major for the film." (More on The Matrix)

Silver Talks More on The Matrix Sequels!

Producer Joel Silver has been talking more about the much-anticipated "Matrix" sequels.

"[The Wachowski (Larry and Andy) brothers]...keep telling me that these two new movies are so expensive and such a complicated shoot that it could break them, destroy their reputation if it doesn't live up to people's expectations. As a result, we're trying to do what nobody has ever even dreamed of seeing.

He also spoke a bit about the preparation Keanu Reeves goes through in bringing his character to life. "Having made a picture with Jet Li and seeing the level and amount of preparation he devotes to these kind of movies is staggering but Keanu is ten times what Jet Li has given to the screen. Keanu is just a machine. Jet will shoot the fight sequences in small pieces. He plots out exactly how the individual sequences will go together and shoots them separately.

"Keanu wants to do the whole fight with no breaks. He's relentless. Like Larry and Andy he wants to deliver what no one has ever seen. I look at the dailies and it's unbelievable. Cutting edge doesn't begin to describe what they're creating.

Silver even offers up a spoiler that not everyone may want to know about. Here it is... "At the end of the first sequel there's a car chase that takes place in the matrix. It's just so beyond anything you could ever imagine because there are no laws, no rules in that computerized world."

Wow, sounds super cool!

Easing into matrix

TAKING to the streets at the weekend like they never left town were low-fuss Matrix locals Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Fast becoming one of Confidential's favourite visitors, Moss looked like any other Sunday Bondi dweller when she took her dog for a walk (or at least carried him) along Campbell Pde.

Meanwhile, the wonderfully shy Reeves, who has been a long-time Confidential favourite, is cementing his reputation as a bit of a Jimmy Dean loner type.

Often seen enjoying his own company, Reeves opted to spend his Saturday night seeing the new Billy Connolly/Judy Davis flick, The Man Who Sued God, at Double Bay by himself.

Bella Bellucci

Monica Bellucci, renowned as one of the most beautiful women in Europe, talks to JENNY DILLON about the film Malena and the part beauty played in her character's torture and demise.

Without having to utter a word, she provokes deep and consuming passions as she walks – slowly, sinuously, seductively – across the Sicilian village square. From the folk who stare there come the feelings of lust and desire, love and hate, envy and honour, pride and prejudice. Malena is a woman who is alone, she's vulnerable and she's incredibly beautiful. But in the Sicilian society, where the woman's role is either a wife or a mother, she's cast into altogether different moulds: a male's fantasy, a woman's torment.

Monica Bellucci, on the other hand, is no mere object of twisted emotions.

She's a clever young woman who started off her adult life as a law student in her home town of Perugia, Italy. Then she realised she could swot as much as she liked but fame and fortune would come much easier to her if she posed for the cameras in exotic locations.

From being one of Europe's top models, she snuck into the Francis Ford Copolla movie Dracula in 1992 with what she describes as a tiny part, took herself off to acting school, and now has a list of 15 to 20 (she shrugs when you ask for an exact number) European films to her credit and the reputation as one of the most desired women in Europe.

Now she's in Sydney, lured here by the Wachowski bothers, Andy and Larry, for roles in the second and third parts of The Matrix (again with Keanu Reeves, who she first met on the set of Dracula).

Her visit coincides with the Sydney opening of Malena, a film by Guiseppe Tornatore (the director of Cinema Paradiso) that has won a raft of awards overseas and set this established European star on the course for superstardom.

Bellucci is now several kilos lighter than she was in Malena, where her figure is voluptuous in the old-fashioned screen siren sense of Sophia Loren or Gina Lolobrigida. Yet as she settles into an easy chair, her body folds into a neat package of exquisite perfection. Her face too is picture perfect, but still conveys her firm determination not to talk about The Matrix.

"I'm sorry but I can't say anything because it is very hush, hush," she says emphatically. Not even a comment on the sudden death of two of the film's stars, Aaliyah and Gloria Foster?

"Yes, it's very sad, but I can't say anything."

She will talk about Malena, however, the film that convinced the Wachowskis to cast her in The Matrix sequels.

Bellucci met writer/director Tornatore when making a perfume ad and he told her: "One day, if I ever do this film, it's going to be with you." A few years later, he called her.

"Malena is not just a story about beauty. It's a story about envy," she explains.

"Envy can destroy all the relationships that exist between human beings. Malena's husband goes off to war and she is confronted with this male dominated society where men look at her as an object. Except for this young boy who's in love with her and wants to protect her but can't do anything because he's too young. But through her he discovers love and sexuality.

"The film is full of different feelings . . . love, pride and jealousy. They are particularly Sicilian passions and Guiseppe [Tornatore] knows these better than anyone else, and how to tell the story, because he is Sicilian," she says.

"To understand Malena you have to understand the Sicilian mentality at that time. Women only existed for men, as a mother or a wife.

"I can understand Malena because I come from a small village, I know what it means to live in a place where everyone knows each other, where you can feel suffocated by familiarity."

Now she lives in the global village and with the release of the second and third Matrix films there is the potential to create that same oppression.

As well, there is the release in February of the huge French film Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre (she's Cleo, Gerard Depardieu is Obelix), while she will be filming Man Of War in Africa with Bruce Willis.

The alternative to life in the cinematic front line would be a career in law. "If I'd finished my law course?" she muses, then shrugs. "I would be just a boring, bourgeois lawyer, with a bourgeois husband and bourgeois children. I prefer my life."

The Matrix Reloaded : The latest addition to the cyber world sequel, Australia's Lachy Hulme ("Let's Get Skase") got talking to NW about his participation in the next Two "Matrix" movies. "I've done a few months in the states on it, and I go back to work on it now. The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix 3 is a terrifically big production, and the Wachowski brothers - the directors - have a very specific vision for the films. They're, of course, hamstrung a little bit because they didn't have the superstar power, the money and the resources that (Hulme's film) Let's Get Skase has. But if they want to try out these news kids like Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves and give them a shot in show business, then that's fine (laughs). Lachy is awaiting his invitation to Hollywood.

Filming of the two sequels is expected to wrap in Sydney in August, 2002.

FROM the "big things are predicted for..." files: Model-actress Tory Mussett, who scored a lead role in FOX8's upcoming drama Crash Palace, has been spotted at Fox Studios, in rehearsals for her role as Code Woman in the Matrix sequels, working alongside Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. She also appears as the host of tonight's FOX8 special Buffy Bites Back, which includes commentary on the most popular vampire slayer from Natasha Stott Despoja, Triple J's Wil Anderson, author John Birmingham and Rolling Stone editor Andrew Humphreys.

Monica's Italian job

12oct01

THE stars pulled out all the stops on Wednesday night, what with Wendy Hughes shedding her clothing on stage for The Graduate and several starlets opting to don blonde wigs for the premiere of Legally Blonde.

But it was Italian supermodel and actor Monica Bellucci who seriously stole hearts, as she opened the Italian Film Festival at Leichhardt. The stunning actor, who is in town filming The Matrix Reloaded opposite Keanu Reeves, stars in Malena, the festival's opening night film.

Malena, the latest film from Academy Award winner Giuseppe Tornatore of Cinema Paradiso fame, is the story of a beautiful young widow who inspires a boy's independence and courage in the middle of war.

(From Webkeeper,please note.Monica Bellucci has been married with a French actorVincent Cassel.

"The Matrix Revisited," New Cutting-Edge Companion to "The Matrix," Premieres Nov. 20 from Warner Home Video

Updated: Wed, Oct 10 8:32 AM EDT

BURBANK, Calif. (ENTERTAINMENT WIRE) - "The Matrix Revisited" -- a unique 2 1/2 hour companion to the four-time Academy Award(R)-winning "The Matrix," with new behind-the-scenes footage from the original film and an exclusive look into the sequels -- will be introduced on DVD and VHS Nov. 20 by Warner Home Video.

This just-completed project, a first-of-its-kind look at the development of a ground-breaking sci-fi trilogy, illuminates the phenomenal success of "The Matrix" with never-before-seen footage from the original film, new interviews with stars and filmmakers (Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, the Wachowski brothers, producer Joel Silver and fight choreographer Master Yuen Wo Ping), background on the origins of "The Matrix," how Academy Award(R)-winning special effects were developed, and the actors' grueling training regimens.

In addition, viewers will get a sneak peek of behind-the-scenes footage from "The Matrix's" upcoming sequels and a preview of "The Matrix" anime project including a first look at sketches, storyboards, interviews and footage with the animators.

The DVD has more than three hours of hidden features including 188 minutes of music and seven minutes of concealed bonus video material. The hidden features are known as Easter Eggs and accessible only to viewers who are able to discover them.

"The Matrix Revisited" will be available on DVD for $19.98 SRP and on VHS for $14.95 SRP. Street date is Nov. 20. Also available will be a 2-pack containing "The Matrix Revisited" and "The Matrix" for $39.98 SRP on DVD and $29.97 SRP on VHS.

"The Matrix" revolutionized science-fiction action films and boggled the minds of moviegoers, becoming one of the most successful sci-fi films of all time, with a domestic box-office gross of nearly $171.5 million. The DVD was the first ever to reach sales of three million units.

Voted "DVD of the Year" by the Video Software Dealers Association at the first annual DVD Festival 2000 Awards, it has sold 8 million units to date on DVD and VHS combined, and its fiercely dedicated fan base has spread feverish anticipation of "The Matrix" sequels across the Internet.

"The Matrix Revisited"
$19.98 SRP DVD; $14.95 SRP VHS
STREET DATE: Nov. 20
"The Matrix" 2-Pack
$39.98 SRP DVD; $29.97 SRP VHS
STREET DATE: Nov. 20
Note to Editors: Please e-mail requests for materials to andrewshupe@cs-pr.com or fax to 818/260-0707. Photo material can be downloaded at www.whvdirect.com

Possible Sydney filming spotted at Milson's Point

Milson's Point is a small suburb in North Sydney's business district. It is literally almost tucked underneath the northern end of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, and it is home to many locations including Luna Park, the defunct amusement park, and the North Sydney Swimming Pool.

The Matrix Reloaded : TV WEEK reports that Another actor has been added to the cast of "The Matrix Reloaded" and the third film. He is Clayton Watson, and he has signed the contract to appear in both sequels. "My Character is called the kid", he says. "He's introduced in the first sequel and follows through to the second. I started filming in San Francisco in July; and I'll do more in January at Fox Studios in Sydney". Currently Watson is among the ensemble cast of high-rating Aussie soapie "Always Greener", in which he plays army brat, Mickey Steele. "Going from TV to film is a dream. Always Greener has given me time off to do both. I couldn't be more thrilled".

Matrix Cursed?

After having just recovered from the untimely death of star Aaliyah in a recent plane crash, The Matrix sequels have now lost another cast member after Gloria Foster died last weekend.

Foster, who played the enigmatic Oracle in The Matrix, was due to reprise her role in the sequels. The 64 year-old actress had reportedly finished recording lines for her part in The Matrix Reloaded but had yet to begin work on The Matrix 3. No information on how the loss of this integral character will affect the film has been made available, but the Wachowskis must be cursing their stars as yet another obstacle hurls itself in the path of their anticipated sequel project.

08oct01
CONFIDENTIAL's thoughts are with the cast and crew of The Matrix who have lost another key cast member following the tragic death of Aaliyah only two months ago.

Gloria Foster, the distinguished African-American actress who garnered many fans as the warm-hearted Oracle in The Matrix, died at her New York home on the weekend at the age of 64 of complications from diabetes. Her career on stage and screen spanned four decades with numerous TV guest appearances on shows such as The Mod Squad, The Cosby Show and Law & Order.

Foster is most recently remembered for her role as the Oracle – a sweet, mystical Obi Wan Kenobi-type who guided Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the hit film.

According to Eonline, Foster was set to reprise her role in both sequels – Matrix Reloaded and the untitled third instalment, produced by Joel Silver and written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski – currently being filmed in Sydney.

Website Coming Attractions quotes a source close to the production saying Foster filmed most of her scenes for Matrix Reloaded, but nothing for the third film.

Foster's character is said to be "integral" to the series and would create another huge problem for the films, which are being shot back-to-back at Fox Studios.

The spokeswoman for The Matrix films in Sydney could not be contacted yesterday.

But it is yet another sad turn of events for cast and crew of the much-anticipated Matrix sequels, who were just recently forced to scramble following the untimely death of R&B singer Aaliyah, 22, who was slated to play the character Zee in both films before she died in an aircraft crash in the Bahamas in August 25.

According to her website, Aaliyah shot most of her scenes for Matrix Reloaded but none for the third film – in which she was supposed to play a significant part.

Matrix Reloaded is not due in theatres until 2003 and will reunite the original cast, including Reeves, Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving

Another "Matrix" Star Mourned

Less than two months after the death of Aaliyah, The Matrix sequels have lost yet another key cast member.

Gloria Foster, the distinguished African-American actress most recently known for her grandmotherly, spoon-bending performance as Oracle in 1999's sci-fi blockbuster, died of complications from diabetes Saturday at her New York home. She was 64.

Foster's career on stage and screen spanned four decades, with her film credits including 1963's The Cool World and the 1991 TV movie Separate But Equal, opposite Sidney Poitier. She also racked up numerous TV guest appearances on shows such as I Spy, The Mod Squad, The Cosby Show, Law & Order and most recently, the Showtime series Soul Food.

But to many moviegoers, Foster is best remembered for her role as the enigmatic Oracle--a sweet, mystical Obi Wan Kenobi-type who guided Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the Warner Bros. smash.

Foster earned raves for the performance, and she was set to reprise her role in both sequels--Matrix Reloaded and the untitled third installment, produced by Joel Silver and written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski.

Movie Website Coming Attractions quotes a source close to the production saying Foster filmed most of her scenes for Matrix Reloaded (the source also described Foster's performances as "fantastic"), but nothing for the third film. Foster's character is said to be "integral" to the series and would create another huge problem for the films, which were being shot back-to-back in Australia.

A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. could not confirm any details Friday regarding the production or Foster's passing.

Either way, it's yet another sad turn of events for cast and crew of the much-anticipated Matrix sequels, who were just recently forced to scramble following the untimely death of R&B singer Aaliyah. The 22-year-old had been slated to play the character Zee in both films before she died in an August 25 plane crash in the Bahamas.

According to her Website, Aaliyah shot most of her scenes for Matrix Reloaded but none for the third film--in which she was supposed to play a significant part. Warner Bros. remains tight-lipped about what producers plan to do about her character in both films.

"We don't make statements about casting with regards to this production, and we don't plan to," says a Warner Bros. spokeswoman.

Matrix Reloaded is not due in theaters until summer 2003 and will reunite the original cast, including Reeves, Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving.

Born in Chicago on November 16, 1936, the actress studied at the city's Goodman Theater and appeared in local theater before graduating to Broadway in 1961. One of her first major roles was as Ruth Younger in Raisin in the Sun. She won an Obie for the 1963 off-Broadway historical drama In White America.

Her first film role came with The Cool World, during which she met her future husband, actor-director Clarence Williams III (better known as Linc Hayes from TV's Mod Squad). They later divorced, and Foster never remarried.

By the 1980s, Foster began to receive less work, appearing mostly in TV guest spots. One particularly tough point came when she earned a Razzie Award for her supporting role in Bill Cosby's 1987 comedy dud Leonard Part 6.

"At a certain point, I faced a recognition that I was not going to work as much as I wanted to," Foster told author Robert Simonson in his book Role of a Lifetime. "What probably saved me is that I've always felt it was important to live; to experience the day; to experience the hurt, the pain, the love. And come your next role, you're so much more vital."

Star's real tragedies

Keanu Reeves is turning to Buddhist ceremonies on the set of The Matrix sequel to ward off evil spirits. The action hero has suffered a devastating string of personal tragedies over the past year, including the stillbirth of his baby daughter, the death of his ex-girlfriend in a car crash, the news that his sister has leukaemia and that his estranged father is back on drugs, and the death of his Matrix co-star, Aaliyah, in a plane crash. Keanu, who grew keen on Buddhism after filming Little Buddha in 1993, now chants prayers and throws lit rice paper on to a makeshift pyre before filming. Said Buddhist guru Reverend Kusala, 'Keanu is ensuring the studio is blessed with good karma. It could actually be taking it further, and asking that the movie pass good karma around the world every time it's watched.'

October 4, 2001... A representative for Village Roadshow confirmed our source's story today: actress Gloria Foster indeed passed away last weekend. How this will affect her role in The Matrix Reloaded and Matrix 3 remains unclear. The person that first broke the news to us informed CA that at the time of her death, Foster had completed most of her work for Reloaded but none for Matrix 3. She was 64 years old.

Chanting Lifts Keanu's Spirits

Hollywood hunk Keanu Reeves has placed his faith in ancient Buddhist practices in a desperate bid to end his bad luck. Keanu has been cursed with misfortune for the past year - his sister was diagnosed with leukemia, he had a near-fatal motorbike accident, his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Syme was killed in a car crash and then his Matrix Reloaded co-star Aaliyah died in a plane crash. But Keanu is determined to fight back - and he's placed his hope with the Buddhist faith he first encountered on the set of 1993's Little Buddha. A worker on the Matrix sequel's set reveals that Keanu and his co-stars chant prayers and throw lit rice paper into a "make-shift pyre". American Buddhist guru Reverend Kusala says, "By chanting to ward off evil spirits, Keanu is ensuring the studio is blessed with good karma. It could actually be taking it further, and asking that the movie pass good karma around the world every time it's watched."

The Matrix Down Under

Get the latest on The Matrix sequel production from Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia. by Brian Linder
2001-10-04

Production continues on The Matrix sequels. We've spotted some news blips on our Matrix radar and gathered them together for you here...

13th Street has a report that details the Australian shooting for the film. Last month, the production moved from LA to Fox Studios in Sydney. Filming reportedly began on September 24th, and the first scenes were shot on "Stage 3" at the studio. Jada Pinkett Smith, who plays Morpheus love interest Niobe, appeared in the scene that takes place in a subway.

There's also word that Australian singer Christine Anu has been cast in the films. Could she be taking over Aaliyah's role? Australian TV had reported that another more prominent Aussie singer, Erika Badu, would be her replacement. It's all rumor at this point.

The Matrix Online points out an article from The Age that discusses how Australian productions are being hampered as a result of the threat of more terrorist attacks. Many Los Angeles-based filmmakers and studios are opting not to make the long flight to Australia and shoot their films closer to home. However, the Aussie film biz may not take that much of a hit. Some productions are choosing Australia over perceived "high risk" regions where they had previously planned to film.

Luckily this doesn't effect the Matrix sequels either way, as they've already begun production and most of the cast and crew was in place prior to September 11th. Once shooting is underway, travel between Hollywood and Sydney is minimized with the help of high-speed Internet technology.

Matrix Fans has a report from Variety that describes how footage for the Matrix sequels is sent digitally back to Warner Bros. It's similar to the technique used by George Lucas to send raw footage to his effects crew at Industrial Light & Magic. Matrix dailies will be uploaded over TRW's Picture Pipeline network to the studio and/or the appropriate visual effects house. Footage can be reviewed in real-time, or reviewed at the end of the day with voice, text and drawing annotations.

Don't plan on hacking into their system though. Even Neo would have trouble cracking into the system that uses "Triple DES encryption over network, PGP CAST 128 encryption on disk, firewall, [and] intrusion detection."

The marketing of Aaliyah

To sell or not to sell? Film and record producers tread carefully lest they anger fans of dead performer

By Robert W. Welkos, and Jeff Leeds / Los Angeles Times

HOLLYWOOD -- Her name was one of those buzzing in the Hollywood pipeline: Aaliyah. It was the same pipeline that knew that a sexy, young actor with a boyish grin named Brad Pitt was destined to become a movie star long before he appeared in Legends of the Fall.

The same pipeline that predicted stardom for a fleshy-lipped seductress named Angelina Jolie after she appeared in the HBO movie Gia. But Aaliyah's story didn't fulfill any of the predictions. It dissolved amid swampy brush on Aug. 25, when a chartered, twin-engine Cessna 402 crashed during takeoff from Abaco Island in the Bahamas, killing the 22-year-old Grammy-nominated singing sensation and eight others.

While the film and music industries continue to mourn her loss and ponder how big her dual career might have become had fate not been so cruel, the reality for Hollywood is that the show must go on.

The question faced by film and record executives when a marquee star dies unexpectedly is, how? A star's death naturally places their work smack in the middle of public view, potentially attracting a bigger audience at that moment than at any time while he or she was living. There is always a temptation to release new movies or records to capitalize on that publicity, but if studios and record labels do this, they risk alienating the public and even their credibility with artists.

In film, Warner Bros. faces two significant hurdles. This fall, the studio must wrestle with how it plans to market Queen of the Damned, a youth-oriented, rock-driven horror film that features Aaliyah in the title role.

Based on the Anne Rice novel of the same name, the $15-million to $20-million picture directed by Michael Rymer features Stuart Townsend as the vampire Lestat, who becomes a rock star and wakes up the queen of all vampires with his music.

Meanwhile, directors Andy and Larry Wachowski and producer Joel Silver are grappling with whether to recast the Aaliyah role, Zee, in The Matrix Reloaded, the highly anticipated sequel to their '99 blockbuster The Matrix.

The film makers remain tight-lipped about their secret project. Silver, through a studio spokeswoman, declines to discuss how they will deal with Zee. A decision to recast the role of Zee would be a sensitive undertaking if, for no other reason, than any false step could alienate her fans.

The pressure on the studio is evident by a petition by some of the fans posted on the Internet. The petition, addressed to Warner Bros., states:

"In the wake of the tragic death of R&B Singer/Actress Aaliyah, Warner Bros. is rumored to be cutting the scenes Aaliyah has already filmed for (The Matrix Reloaded) and recasting the role. We would like to urge WB to honor the memory of Aaliyah's life and keep her scenes."

While certain scenes have been shot in the United States, filming was scheduled to resume in Australia last week. Silver told the Los Angeles Times shortly after Aaliyah's death that the actress was not scheduled to go before the cameras until late October.

Warner Bros. also faces a marketing dilemma with Queen of the Damned. Producer Jorge Saralegui noted that because the movie won't come out until early next year, the studio has time to develop the marketing plan carefully.

"There will be an empty chair," Saralegui says. "Everything -- the premiere, everything -- will be affected by this. You want to make the movie as good as it can be. You want to make her as good as she can be (and) you hope to have everything hold up around her."

It wasn't only the film world that Aaliyah had entranced; music fans had embraced her.

Executives at Blackground, Aaliyah's record label, say the death forced them to slow their marketing efforts dramatically. Her new album, Aaliyah, had been released in mid-July, debuting on the national pop chart at No. 2. The album slid heavily in the next few weeks. In the week following her death, sales spiked 595 percent. There have been 1.1 million copies of this new record sold in total, according to SoundScan.

Label executives say they have been devastated by her death and are determined not to appear as though they are capitalizing on it.

"The first thing we had to do was think about the legacy we want her to have," says senior vice-president Parrish Johnson. "We just took a step back on the project and made a few adjustments."

Executives say the rising R&B singer had recorded enough material for at least one more album, and that they expect to release a greatest-hits package, including one or two new songs, sometime next year.

One unreleased track, a duet between R&B and folk-pop singer Beck, is scheduled to appear on a new album by producer Timbaland and his partner Magoo. That album is scheduled to be in stores Nov. 20.

The label says it was holding two completed music videos for the songs "More Than a Woman" and "Rock the Boat" -- the latter completed shooting just before the plane crash.

"We are going to be releasing them to the music-video channels," says spokeswoman Carrie Davis. "I don't know when and I don't know in what order. People don't even want to look at the rough cut yet."

The label's initial marketing plan called for releasing several singles on top of each other to build buzz quickly, but the singer's death forced the label to rethink that strategy.

"We have a responsibility to her memory and her legacy," Johnson says. "I want to make her as big as she can be. I think she'll continue to be popular (because of) what she stood for. A lot of young girls looked up to her. She wouldn't compromise -- that's going to be part of her legacy. It's my duty to keep reminding people."

October 3, 2001... We have received an unconfirmed report from a source working on the Matrix sequels that Gloria Foster, the actress who portrayed The Oracle in the first Matrix film, passed away last weekend. We have not been able to confirm this news via Ms. Foster's representation, but the news does come to us from an individual that has a solid connection to the Matrix productions. According to the Internet Movie Database, Foster is 65 years old.

Our source also informs us that Foster filmed the majority of her scenes for The Matrix Reloaded but none for the third Matrix film. Obviously if this report is indeed accurate (and it's at a time like this we hope this turns out to be false), it will present another large problem for the sequels.

The Oracle is an "integral" character for both Matrix sequels, and our source said Foster's performance in the second film was nothing short of "fantastic".

More on this breaking story as it develops.

13th Street Exclusive: More "Matrix" News!

Remember back when The Matrix was just that movie from Warner Bros. that was supposed to come out a month before The Phantom Menace? All the hype and attention was focused on George Lucas' Star Wars prequel, so when The Matrix debuted and became an instant hit, it took everyone by surprise.

Well, things have changed for The Matrix Reloaded, the first of the two sequels to the original 1999 film. Reloaded started principal photography in San Francisco but has now moved on to Sydney, Australia. We've heard a couple of reports from insiders about casting or production news, but today we're able to give our first report from the land down under!

The Aussie portion of Reloaded started filming on September 24, a little over one week ago. The first scenes the Wachowski brothers shot were in Fox's Sydney studios stage 3. The set consists of an underground subway set that's meant to exist within the world of the Matrix. Jada Pinkett-Smith, the actress who plays the new character of Niobe, was around for this scene. She plays the love interest of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the movie.

Also of news: there's been a bit of new casting to report. It seems Australian singer named Christine Anu has been cast in a smaller role for Reloaded. Anu performed at the Sydney 2000 Olympics last summer.

The Matrix Reloaded has a tentative release date for the summer of 2003. We'll have more on the progress of the Australian shoot here on 13th Street!

Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix"

Hot Project: The Matrix 2 & 3

By Guylaine Cadorette, Hollywood.com Staff

HOLLYWOOD, October 1, 2001 -- The story for The Matrix Reloaded remains so shrouded in secrecy that even the top decoders at Bletchley Park would not be able to crack it.

There are, however, some tantalizing little tidbits about the movie leaking out, as well as news about the production, cast and crew.

Production for the The Matrix Reloaded will reunite stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne from 1999's The Matrix. While lensing is set to start this fall on Reloaded, a third Matrix film is already in pre-production.

Interestingly enough, production for the third Matrix sequel, entitled The Matrix: Revelations, will start immediately after Reloaded. Writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski are shooting the back-to-back sequels over a 250-day production schedule (the pair reportedly received $10 million to write and direct the two sequels).

Apart from the fact that Neo, Morpheus and Trilogy will continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix, not much is known about the movie's plot.

Recently, though, rumors surfaced that cloning plays a big part in the film's theme.

The Australian newspaper The Sun-Herald suggested that in one action sequence, Reeves' character Neo will be fighting 100 clones of himself. The Matrix Online however, speculates that Neo will actually be fighting 100 Agent Smiths. One thing is certain--special effects are as important as they were in the original 1999 movie.

Reeves, who received somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million for the two Matrix offshoots, reportedly gave up part of his back-end deals for the sequels and instead told the studio to divide it among the special-effects and costume-design workers. In a move that The Wall Street Journal dubbed as "really weird, by Hollywood standards," Reeves explained that they deserved the pay since they were the ones that essentially made the movie.

In addition to the groundbreaking special effects, there is talk that the stunts and choreography for both sequels will far out-do that of the original. This will be no easy feat, considering stunt choreographer Yuen Woo Ping spent eight hours a day for four months training both Reeves and Fishburne for The Matrix. During a training session for the sequels, Reeves reportedly suffered trauma to his ankle that sidelined him from production for four days.

Reeves' bone crunching injury was not the only set back in production. Singer and actress Aaliyah had a small role as the character Zee in Reloaded which would have been expanded in the third installment, Revelations. But the Grammy-nominated R&B singer died in a plane crash on Aug. 25 in the Bahamas. Though Warner Bros. issued a statement offering their condolences to the families of those who died in the crash, they did not address questions of Aaliyah's role in the sequels and whether it would affect the film's production.