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

by Jamie Walters, April 18th, 2002

FROM Z CARS to Star Wars, 65-year-old Brian Blessed is the daddy of British acting. Born to a South Yorkshire coal miner, the flying bearded warrior from Flash Gordon is far more than just an actor. He's written five books, is an explorer, and has sung with the top orchestras. He is currently playing Baron Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.

Were you born with a beard?

Sometimes I think I was. I grew it after Z Cars and the only time I've shaved it off since was when I played Caesar in I Claudius. For the Romans, a beard was barbarian - they shaved three or four times a day. I keep it now because people want it - when they offer me parts, they want the beard as well. It's very handy on expeditions because it keeps me warm. Has it become more important than you? I think so. As I said, it's very good on mountains. I've become quite a serious explorer: I've been to Everest three times; I'm the oldest man to reach the North Pole and I've just been to the lost world of Venezuela.

Does Everest get smaller every time you climb it?

No, it seems to get larger. I'm going back after Chitty and, if I climb it, I'll be the oldest man to have done so. I can't stand people who make a pact with old age, and I don't think I've ever been fitter than I am now. I do about two-and-a-half hours weights and run ten miles a day. I have the advantage of lungs which are twice the normal size.

Does your family ever tell you it's time to stop the adventures?

I asked my wife before we got married if she understood about the expeditions. She said: 'yes' but I don't think she really did. When I told her about my trip to the South Pole and seeing 79 dead bodies in one place, it hit home. You can't call it an adventure unless it's tinged with danger. The greatest danger in life, though, is not taking the adventure at all. To have the objective of a life of ease is death. I think we've all got to go after our own Everest.

Soon you'll be able to get into space for £100,000 - will that interest you?

Very much. I'm putting together a film called Going To Mars. The highest mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons on Mars: it's four times higher than Everest and the size of Spain. One day it will be climbed; we're going to simulate climbers going there. We don't just belong here, we belong up there as well. Our home is the universe

Do you regularly get mobbed now you're a Star Wars man?

Yes, it's extraordinary.

When I told my wife about my trip to the South Pole and seeing 79 dead bodies it hit home

What's the more challenging role: King Lear or Boss Nass [from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace]?

Boss Nass was great fun. I could spend my life in America becoming a multi-millionaire just by saying Boss Nass lines. I went to America once for that kind of thing after Flash Gordon. I had to go on stage and say: 'Gordon's alive' and they'd all cheer. I'd come back 20 minutes later to a different audience, say the same wretched line, and they'd all cheer again. I was offered a part in a seven-year series, a bit like Star Trek, in the US but turned it down. They told me I couldn't do any expeditions and would have to stay in America, so I thought bugger that. You'd get there and they'd soon start saying things like: 'Oh, what wonderful eyes you've got and what a marvellous voice.' They'd start to flatter you and before long you'd have a blonde bimbo on your arm and lose all sense of reality.

You don't like Hollywood then?

No. I've done some nice things over there, especially for Disney but I couldn't live in LA. There are no seasons - it's summer all the time. There's nothing like a British spring, and we've got football and rugby.

Is it true you're going to be in one of the Matrix sequels?

I've not been approached yet. Keanu Reeves and I get on marvellously though. We did Love's Labours Lost together and had a father-and-son-like relationship. He doesn't give a toss about fame and has no vanity. He's just an ordinary lad.

You seem to be able to do everything - act, write, sing opera and climb mountains. Is there anything you can't do?

Play the piano, or any instrument for that matter. I wish I could, but it's a matter of finding the time to learn.

Have you had to cultivate that magnificent voice, or has it always been there?

No, it's just I've got huge vocal cords. I could have been an operatic singer.

It often sounds like your scripts have been written in capital letters, are they?

Wonderful. That's an absolutely marvellous idea, but they're not.

Boss Nass vs Vultan in a fight - who'd win? Vultan. I think Flash Gordon is one of the finest films ever made - it's got great style, like films of the 1930s.

Do you prefer light-hearted work like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? No, not all. People talk about the difference between radio acting, TV acting and stage acting, but I think it's all the same. For instance, when I played Vultan in Flash Gordon, I put as much energy into it as I would with King Lear - it's all part of the same thing.

FROM THE NEWS ARCHIVES OF CINEMA CONFIDENTIAL

More "Matrix Reloaded" casting

Moviehole (http://www.moviehole.net) reports that Rupert Reid (TV's Blue Heelers) has joined the cast of the sci-fi instalments, which continues shooting until the end of August.

It's believed his role is of great importance to the movies but is being kept under wraps. Reid is believed to have been signed for both films, but "Reloaded" having already shot the majority of it's scenes - will probably only feature him minutely. The former "Blue Heelers" star will join fellow Australians Hugo Weaving and Christine Anu on the set of Andy and Larry Wachowski's revolutionary sci-fi series this week. The series, with an estimated budget of more than $120 million, has been in production at Fox Studios in Sydney since last October. Reid, 27, said he was a "huge" fan of the first film, which has earned nearly $1 billion since its 1999 release. "To me, The Matrix is a seminal work," he said. Reid's contract states that he cannot discuss his character or the content of The Matrix sequels.

(***Spoilers***)If Neo's around, Smith will be around

Date:12-Apr-2002
From:Matrix Online
Author:Nerje
(The detail is here)

-- Channel [V] talks to The Matrix stars
Sunday, April 14, 2002
News : Movies : The Matrix: Reloaded :

On Australia's Channel [V] news program, Informer, Andrew "Super" Mercado was able to catch up with the four biggest stars of The Matrix sequels, Carrie-Ann, Laurence, Keanu and Hugo.

I managed to catch the whole thing and here are my notes. There's a few bits missing but I think I grabbed all the important stuff.

INTERVIEW WITH HUGO WEAVING

All the interviews took place in a Neb bedroom.

Super mentions that Agent Smith looked pretty dead at the end of the first film. Hugo replies with "well you'll notice that I seem to die about three or four times through the whole film..." followed by "If Neo's around, Smith will be around".

Super brings up the other two Agents, Rob and Paul. Hugo says that they "ran away after the first film" and that they would not be returning, but he had other Agents to back him up. Super whinges about the Aussies being replaced by international actors and Hugo mentions that there are a few international villains, American, Swiss, and so on. (Weren't the Virii noted to be Swiss?)

Then Super asked if the stunts were more involved, had the ante been upped? "The Ante has certainly been upped".

Then Super cuts to a clip of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive mimed by Hugo in drag, from Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Funny stuff.

INTERVIEW WITH LAURENCE FISHBURNE

Super compliments Laurence and says that we all loved the first film, when did he realise that it would be a trilogy and not just a single film? Laurence says that about midway through shooting they realised that there was a lot more to this whole Matrix thing and that there would be a possibility of making two more films.

"When fans approach you," asks Super, "do they ask you questions and expect you to be an expert on the Matrix mythology?"
"No," replies Laurence. "They expect me to BE Morpheus".

Super wonders if it's difficult to work with the blue screen. Laurence says no, with most films blue screen is commonplace and the challenge is actually in the size, and the length, and the post production, and the fact that he release will also be unique. Super comments that the third movie is a while away, and Laurence will be talking to people about it very a very long time after he's finished making it.
"And before," comments Laurence.

Being a music channel, Super asks what Laurence listens to. Laurence is listening to a 5-disc Jazz documentary right now and in makeup he's been listening to Groove Armada.

Finally Super asks a decent question - what can we expect from Morpheus in the sequels?
"Expect him to be a lot bigger, a lot more intense."

INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE-ANN

Super is a comedic genius and says that all of Carrie-Ann's projects begin with M - Models Inc, Matrix, Memento. Carrie-Ann jokes and says that it's her technique.

Super asks if it's amazing to read a story like The Matrix and then see it on screen. She says it's exciting to watch something like The Matrix manifest on screen, and this is largely due to the "Bill Popes" and "Kym Barretts" (there were other names mentioned and I didn't catch them, sorry). She also says that what she's doing now is strange - she can't imagine it until she sees it on screen.

Super mentions that the interviews are taking place in Trinity's quarters (awesome). He mentions that they aren't girly, it's actually quite masculine, and Carrie-Ann doesn't mind that, but she notes there are no flowers in there.

What can we expect from Trinity?
"I can't say too much, but expect great action, and lots of shiny PVC costumes".

Super blabs on about Models Inc. then asks Carrie-Ann if she's seen the DVD. She says she's got a DVD player but can't figure it out so she doesn't know.

Then they show the Rock is Dead clip from Marilyn Manson.

INTERVIEW WITH KEANU REEVES

Note - I missed a bit of this because I could write what he said or watch the footage onscreen. Guess which I chose?

Super says that the first one was about Neo's journey, what about the sequels? Keanu says "yes, and no" and that they aren't just about Neo, and go in a few other directions. The first film was an awakening, the sequels will take a different stance.

They talk about Keanu's training regime for a while. I was incredibly distracted by the scenes being shown so I ignored that bit.

Super asks about the soundtrack, and what can be expected. Keanu doesn't have a clue, and mentions that The Prodigy were a large part of the brothers' pulse, their vibe, during the making of the first film. Super asks if there'll be a Dogstar track on the CD and I love Keanu's reply: "Heh, doubt it."

WHAT I SAW

The behind the scenes footage was shown during the part with Keanu.

We saw the mansion scene, in which Neo (armed with a sword) fights off a person with a sword + shield, a person with a trident, and a person with a stave/pike/halberd thingy. This is similar to the ET footage but it shows a little more of the opponents. Their weapons are incredible, very medieval. Most of them wore black and the person with the sword/shield seemed to be a woman in a kind of white.

The we were treated to another part, with what looked like a mess hall, wooden tables in a row in a medieval style building, though maybe it was more akin to the dojo in the first movie. On the tables, Neo sparred with an opponent that looked of asian descent with a white cloth outfit. Neo was in his trenchcoat. They would trade blows and the opponent would jump and do a quad-kick like Neo did in the dojo scene in The Matrix, and Neo would block these kicks as the both of them jumped the gap backwards onto the next table. Then they traded blows again, and repeated the jump/quad-kick/block onto the third table.

Anyway I hope that's of some interest to you. It should be repeated regularly through the week on Australia's payTV Channel [V] so keep an eye out for it.

I'll try and catch it again and fill in the parts I missed, and hopefully get a better look at that footage. See you guys around on The Switchboard.

- Nerje

Friday, April 12, 2002
News : Movies : The Matrix: Reloaded :

When Attack of the Clones hits cinemas on May 16th, expect a Matrix: Reloaded teaser / trailer as part of the Episode II trailer reel on some showings (though check with your local cinema manager beforehand). Why should you get to the theater early? Because a pal who checked out the clip in Joel Silver's office says he sat dumbfounded, then asked for it to be rewound so he could watch it again. Also the following picture was submitted to Countingdown.com, and has been described as a possible Matrix Reloaded storyboard.

Apparently the trailer for The Matrix Reloaded, attached with Star Wars, is VERY good.

Anderson Jones reports:

When Attack of the Clones bows in May, expect a Matrix: Reloaded preview as part of the Episode II trailer reel. Why should you get to the theater early? Because a pal who checked out the clip in Joel Silver's office says he sat dumbfounded, then asked for it to be rewound so he could watch it again. We just have to see for ourselves.

HOLLYWOOD, California (Reuters) -- "Ali" starlet Nona Gaye, daughter of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, will fill the shoes of the late singer-actress Aaliyah in Warner Bros. Pictures' sequels to "The Matrix," Variety reports.

Gaye will portray Zee, a role that is introduced in the second film, "The Matrix Reloaded," and expands considerably in the third installment, "The Matrix Revolutions." She will begin shooting in Sydney next week.

When Aaliyah was killed last August in a plane crash, she had completed the initial shooting for "Reloaded" in Los Angeles. The R&B singer was scheduled to wrap principal photography on both films early this year.

"Reloaded" is slated for release May 23, 2003, with "Revolutions" to follow in November. The three stars of the original sci-fi action thriller -- Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne -- also are returning in the sequels.

Gaye, who is the daughter of Marvin Gaye and released her own album in 1992, recently made her feature debut in "Ali" as Belinda Ali, the second wife of the boxing great.

Reuters
(Hollywood, April 11)

Ali starlet Nona Gaye, daughter of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, will fill the shoes of the late singer-actress Aaliyah in Warner Bros. Pictures' sequels to The Matrix.

Gaye will portray Zee, a role that is introduced in the second film, The Matrix Reloaded, and expands considerably in the third instalment, The Matrix Revolutions. She will begin shooting in Sydney next week.

When Aaliyah was killed last August in a plane crash, she had completed the initial shooting for Reloaded in Los Angeles. The R&B singer was scheduled to wrap principal photography on both films early this year.

Reloaded is slated for release on May 23, 2003, with Revolutions to follow in November. The three stars of the original sci-fi action thriller 揖eanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne ・ also are returning in the sequels.

The Matrix Reloaded: Musician Paul Oakenfold (who contributed to "Swordfish" and "Planet of the Apes") revealed in Hamburg he has done three tracks for the soundtrack.

The Matrix Reloaded (Scoop #2):Movie Hole reports that actress Nona Gaye has stepped into the role of Zee originally to be played be Aaliyah. Gaye arrived in Oz on Monday and starts filming next week.

'Ali' Actress Filling Aaliyah's Role in 'Matrix 2'
Thu Apr 11, 3:36 AM ET
By Dana Harris

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Ali" starlet Nona Gaye, daughter of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, will fill the shoes of the late singer-actress Aaliyah in Warner Bros. Pictures' sequels to "The Matrix."

Gaye will portray Zee, a role that is introduced in the second film, "The Matrix Reloaded," and expands considerably in the third installment, "The Matrix Revolutions." She will begin shooting in Sydney next week.

When Aaliyah was killed last August in a plane crash, she had completed the initial shooting for "Reloaded" in Los Angeles. The R&B singer was scheduled to wrap principal photography on both films early this year.

"Reloaded" is slated for release May 23, 2003, with "Revolutions" to follow in November. The three stars of the original sci-fi action thriller -- Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne -- also are returning in the sequels.

Gaye, who is the daughter of Marvin Gaye and released her own album in 1992, recently made her feature debut in "Ali" as Belinda Ali, the second wife of the boxing great.

This one was too good to sit on folks, hence the slightly earlier post. Our man on the inside 'The Inside-Man' is involved with the Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. A lot of what's going on with these films is pretty hush-hush, But I removed the tape and got the dirt. Our spy, who will be on-set til June, tells us it's "going ok". "Shooting both films simultaneously, but 99% of the work on "Matrix Reloaded" complete", 'Inside' tells us. "Heaps to go on "Matrix Revolutions", but amazingly, only about a week behind schedule after over a year of filming! (That, by the way, is a fucking miracle and a testament to the Wachowski's. Most films of this nature would be about three/four months behind schedule", he adds. "All main cast are working away (Fishburne, Jada, Hugo, Carrie-Ann, and Keanu), and stacks of Aussies as well (Lachy Hulme, Clayton Watson, Chris Kirby, David Roberts, Robert Mammone, Anthony Wong)", our main discovers. It's believed that Lachy Hulme's part is minute but he will be starring in the video game with Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong. "It is the best role in the Matrix universe. The game is a HUGE fucking production in itself, and stars Hulme Jada, and Anthony Wong. They've finished the SFX part of it (that took four months) and now they've got 1st and 2nd unit stuff to shoot, which goes till June" says our man. Apparently there's also a certain lead actor whose not winning any fans with the rest of the cast or crew - mainly because he can't act. Thanks to our man on the inside 'The Inside-Man'. Now get back behind that bush dude!

The Fatboys are in town

Last week, a new exhibition, Two wheeled warriors: a history of Harley-Davidson in Australia, began at the Powerhouse Museum. Though more than 20 classic motorcycles are on display - from a 1930 Peashooter racing bike to the $32,000 V-Rod ridden by Keanu Reeves in the forthcoming Matrix 2 - it's designed to appeal to more than revheads. Curator Anni Turnbull says Harleys have made a unique contribution to our popular culture, our fashion and our notions of rebellion.

"There's an incredible divide between the people who love Harleys and the rest of the world, who dump on them," says Turnbull. No other motoring manufacturer, she says, has managed to "perpetuate a legend" in the same way - not even Ferrari. "Harley-Davidson is one of the most recognised brand names in the world along with Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Disneyland. But no-one tattoos their names on their bodies."

The Matrix Reloaded : Carrie Anne-Moss appeared on last night's telecast of the TropFest Awards here in Australia and talked a little about The Matrix sequels, which she is now filming in Australia. "I'm done with kung fu and all that," she says, "I finished my final kung fu fight scene this weekend. And hung it up on the weekend. we did night shoots". She's positive about the look of the film so far though. "There's plenty of shooting, plenty of action, plenty of talking, it's got it all. It's been really good, real fun". We've got Keanu, Laurence, Hugo Weaving. exciting," she continues. "Im not doing kung fu or fight stuff ever again though," she confirms.

Growing Moss Down Under

HOLLYWOOD -- Carrie-Anne Moss, who won this year's Spirit award as best supporting actress for Memento, has fallen in love with Australia, where she is filming the two Matrix sequels.

"I have four months left of my two-year stint in Australia.

"I could actually see myself relocating there," says Moss, who was born in Vancouver.

Rumours persist Samantha Mumba, the young Irish singer who made her film debut in The Time Machine, will replace Aaliyah in the Matrix sequels.

Aaliyah died in a plane crash last August shortly after she began working on Matrix Reloaded.

"I don't know what's happening regarding Aaliyah's role. All I know is that we're all still grieving for her and for Gloria Foster, who died just a month after Aaliyah."

Foster played Oracle in 1999's Matrix. (More on Carrie-Anne Moss and The Matrix)