Available October 14 From Warner Home Video: ``The Matrix Reloaded''

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2003--Warner Home Video:
-- Reload before the Revolution Begins!

Prepare to be blown away on October 14 with the highly anticipated DVD and VHS release of the record-breaking $700 million worldwide box-office smash hit "The Matrix Reloaded."

Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, "The Matrix Reloaded" is the second chapter in the Wachowskis' groundbreaking action film trilogy that explores the nature of reality and the search for truth. In addition to the return of original "Matrix" stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving, "The Matrix Reloaded" features such new cast members as Jada Pinkett Smith and Monica Bellucci.

Premiering October 14 on DVD and VHS from Warner Home Video Inc. (WHV) and Village Roadshow Pictures, "The Matrix Reloaded" is timed for release three weeks prior to the theatrical opening of "The Matrix Revolutions," the final film in the futuristic series. "The Matrix Reloaded" will be priced to own at $29.95 SRP for DVD and $22.99 SRP for VHS.

DVD ELEMENTS

The two-disc DVD release includes an explosion of mind-freeing bonus features:

-- Preload - Get a behind-the-scenes overview of "The Matrix Reloaded" with on-location footage and interviews with cast and crew.

-- The Freeway Chase - Behind-the-scenes footage shows the viewer how the mind-blowing scene was captured on film.

-- What is "The Animatrix?" - A glimpse into the history and the intrigue of "The Animatrix."

-- "Enter The Matrix" - Making of the best-seller video game and the groundbreaking technology used to create it. Your exclusive opportunity to step inside the world of "Enter the Matrix."

-- "The Matrix Unfolds" - A review of "The Matrix" phenomenon and its amazing cultural impact.

-- "2003 MTV Movie Awards Matrix Reloaded" parody

-- "Get Me An Exit" - "Matrix"-inspired advertising.

-- Weblinks to the official "Matrix" website.

SYNOPSIS

In the powerful second chapter of the Matrix trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne) lead the revolt against the Machine Army as it attacks Zion, the last human city on Earth, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind.

What is The Matrix? The question is not yet fully answered. And it leads to another: Who created The Matrix? The answers lead to more worlds of bold possibility -- and to a destiny that passes from revelations to Revolutions.

BASICS

DVD - $29.95 SRP

VHS - $22.99 SRP

Street Date: October 14

Running time: 138 mins.

Rating: R (for sci-fi violence and some sexuality)

DVD Widescreen (16:9 Transfer) Catalog #28648

DVD Standard (4:3 Transfer) Catalog #21851

VHS Catalog #21851

Spanish-Subtitled VHS Catalog #6876

With operations in 78 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

Photo material can be downloaded at www.whvdirect.com.

For more information, visit www.thematrix.com / AOL Keyword: Matrix Reloaded

"Constantine" (Warner Brothers) - Casting Call

Name: Rebecca Klein
E-Mail: Auditions@rapidreply.net
Date/Time: September 03, 2003 at 6:48 PM
Subject: ACTING JOBS - Keanu Reeves Film "Constantine" Now Casting
Home Page:

"Constantine" (Warner Brothers) - Casting Call
A film adaptation of the classic Vertigo comic book "Hellblazer".

"Constantine" will star Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, a world-traveling, mage-like misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries, walking a thin line between evil and good. He teams up with a female police detective named Angela Dodson, who seeks Constantine's help while investigating the suicide-like death of her twin sister Isabel.

Production will begin on September 22, 2003.

EMAIL FOR MORE INFO: Auditions@rapidreply.net

MALE ROLES FOR THIS FILM:

[Chaz], Caucasian, 20s - 30s. A tough, shadowy L.A. cab driver and one of John Constantine's oldest friends. Chaz has some ties to illegal activitiy, but is making an effort to stay out of crime. PRINCIPAL ROLE

[Beeman], Caucasian, 20s. A highly intelligent, offbeat young guy who assists Constantine with special information and occult artifacts. He's a bit skinny and unimposing, but makes up for it with his mind. PRINCIPAL ROLE

[Morgue Security Guard], any ethnicity, 30s - 40s. An eccentric, reclusive man who works at night. Nervous and high-strung.

[Balthazar], any ethnicity, 30s - 40s. One of the three emperors of Hell who Constantine discovers is behind a series of crimes being committed around the world. Balthazar is one of the main villains of the film.

[Criminal], Middle Eastern, 20s - 30s. He escapes from a Turkish prison. Slight, muscular, lean, not scruffy. He possesses the relic of the spear. He tries to kill Angela and gets in a fight with Constantine.

[Father Garret], Caucasian, 40s - 60s. Angela's highly spiritual and kind priest. He is seen in confession with Angela and again at the theological society where Angela asks for her twin sister Isabel to get a proper Catholic burial. PRINCIPAL ROLE

[Busboy], any ethnicity, 20s - 30s. Hard-working, clean-cut young busboy at a restaurant.

[Korean Man], 30s.

FEMALE ROLES FOR THIS FILM:

[Ellie], Caucasian, 20s - 30s. An alluring and seductive woman known as a "Succubus", a female demon that seduces men while they sleep. She is the only Succubus to ever mate with an angel. She is pretty and vulnerable yet can also be volatile. Ellie has a love-hate relationship with John Constantine (Reeves). PRINCIPAL ROLE

[Crazed Woman], any ethnicity, 20s - 30s. A neurotic, loud woman who becomes the victim of supernatural forces. Constantine tries to help her.

[Attractive Girl], any ethnicity, 18 - 20s. Glamorous, flirtatious L.A. model type.

[Church Attendant], any ethnicity, 30s - 40s. Old-fashioned, quiet, level-headed, down-to-earth woman.

[Filipino Mother], Filipino, 30s - 40s.

For casting details, send email by September 6th to Auditions@rapidreply.net.

Ghost 'Back' in the Machine

Anthony Wong, who plays 'Ghost' in "The Matrix Revolutions" talked to WhatDVD about the upcoming final chapter. "[It is] Bigger, Better Faster" he laughs. "The Matrix Revolutions really does show you why Matrix as a story was conceived as a trilogy. Because it really does deliver the powerful philosophical message that the Wachowskis wanted to bring to the world through this sort of high action, science fiction movie. Also you are going to see some very interesting things happen". He adds, "I can just say that it totally pays off for the fans of the first two movies".

Wong also commented on some of the bad feedback 'Matrix Reloaded' received. "I have heard about that criticism and that's why I say that Matrix Revolutions will really answer any of the critics of the second movie. Because the second and third movies are like one story divided in half, the third one really does wrap up a lot of the loose ends. The second Matrix does pose a lot of questions that people walk out going, wow, gosh, what does that mean? I don't understand it. Well Matrix Revolutions really does answer those and wrap up the story・

The Matrix Revolutions

Release Date: November 5, 2003

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Monica Bellucci, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski

And so it ends. With a bang. And a fight, inevitably. Having walked out on the Architect (Helmut Bakaitis) toward the end of The Matrix Reloaded in order to save Trinity (Moss), Neo (Reeves) has set up a chain of events that could culminate in the destruction of the Matrix. Meaning . . . the stage is set for the final confrontation between man and machine, as well as the climactic round between Neo’s flying superman and his archenemy Smith (Weaving)—a fight that’s been dubbed by the filmmakers as “the Superbrawl” and that takes place both in the skies above the Matrix and on the ground where the rogue agent’s clones have reached epidemic proportions. “He’s taking over,” Weaving says. And if you thought the conclusion of Reloaded was startling, this is where you should really expect the unexpected. Such as a main character dying. Maybe. As well as a new Oracle (Mary Alice Smith). Despite its massive opening weekend and over $272 million gross, some fans and critics felt Reloaded didn’t quite live up to the prerelease hype, but Reeves assures us that “the third part should be the most exciting. That’s where it all happens. That’s the climax. And in this piece I feel that happens.”

ZIONIC BOOMS: Revolutions, says visual-effects supervisor John Gaeta, “turns into a whole different type of science fiction animal. We really explode outside [into the real world] in this one.” The climax alone, featuring an army of machines attacking Zion, was created at a cost of $40 million (two-thirds of the original’s entire budget), and Gaeta promises “a volume of science fiction creature action that hasn’t been around since Alien.”

KEANU'S BELOVED BOOTS

THE MATRIX star KEANU REEVES is so in love with a battered old pair of boots, he's stick them together with tape rather than toss them away.

The Lebanon-born actor, who's earned a reported $30 million (GBP18.7 million) plus 15 per cent of the box office gross from the Matrix series, has taken to wearing a beloved pair of boots with duct tape around one foot.

And rather than keep his budgeting a secret, Reeves wore the tattered footwear when he appeared on THE SHARON OSBOURNE SHOW yesterday morning (17SEP03) and performed with the band BECKY.

Once he and bandmates REBECCA LORD, PAULIE KOSTA and ROB MAILHOUSE had finished playing OBLIVIOUS, host Sharon immediately asked about his taped shoe.

Keanu replied, "What happened is, I really love these shoes. They're kinda coming off. This one was really a nightmare so I've just taped them on for the past couple of days. It's so torn that the glue won't work."

18/09/2003 18:14

Hasbro to Bring G.I. JOE to the Big Screen in Full-Length, Live-Action Movie; Film Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to Develop And Produce

PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003--Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) announced today an agreement with prominent film producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to develop and produce a full-length, live-action feature film based on Hasbro's legendary G.I. JOE brand.
"A G.I. JOE live-action movie is a natural," said di Bonaventura, a film producer and former Executive Vice President and Head of Worldwide Production and Domestic Marketing for Warner Brothers. "Three generations of children grew up with the G.I. JOE brand and after nearly 40 years, it's an honor to be able to bring the saga and its characters to life on movie screens."

"A live-action film will deliver high energy and non-stop excitement to the millions of fathers and sons that share awesome memories of G.I. JOE," said Brian Goldner, President of Hasbro's U.S. Toys Segment. "Lorenzo has an amazing track-record for picking winners in the entertainment industry and we are thrilled at his enthusiasm and approach towards the G.I. JOE brand."

When Hasbro launched the G.I. JOE brand in 1964, it gave the world its very first "action figure" and defined childhood for millions of fans around the world. Since then, G.I. JOE has come to symbolize patriotism, honor and courage, and is one of the best-selling male action brands of all time. With double-digit increases in toy sales over the past four years, it is clear that a new generation of boys have discovered the excitement of the G.I. JOE brand.

"The depth of the G.I. JOE brand provides incredible opportunities to integrate the property into many lifestyle areas," said Jane Ritson-Parsons, President of the Hasbro Properties Group. "From a highly successful publishing program to a wide variety of relevant consumer product categories, we are able to involve fans of all ages into the adventurous world of G.I. JOE."

While at Warner Brothers, di Bonaventura oversaw production of the Harry Potter series of films, the Matrix series, and Scooby-Doo, among many others. He is currently producing the Warner Brothers feature film Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves, and based on the comic book Hellblazer.

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) made the deal on behalf of Hasbro and di Bonaventura.

The Hasbro Properties Group develops and expands Hasbro, Inc.'s (NYSE:HAS) core brands, such as G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY and CANDY LAND, into a wide variety of entertainment and consumer categories.

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

International boxoffice

[Snipped for "Matrix"]

But with such successes as "The Matrix Reloaded" ($451.6 million), "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" ($137.9 million) and "Two Weeks Notice" ($108.6 million), Warners clearly had the advantage.

On July 22, the studio announced that it had amassed $1.012 billion at the international boxoffice; by Aug. 31, the total stretched to $1.079 billion.

The studio is looking to retain its stranglehold on the international market heading into the rest of the year as well. During the next few months, scheduled Warner Bros. releases include the third installment in its powerhouse "Matrix" sci-fi trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions," and the family picture "Looney Tunes: Back in Action." Additionally, awards season hopefuls "Matchstick Men" and "Mystic River" will debut, along with the Tom Cruise historical epic "The Last Samurai," which will bow in Japan and North America in December and open worldwide the following month.

"We're feeling very good about the lineup," Warner Bros. president of international theatrical distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek says. "We're hoping to pass our record of last year ($1.6 billion)."

Hollywood on warpath in battle-heavy fall lineup

They’ll be fighting on land, on sea, in space, in Middle-earth. Their weapons will include cannons, flamethrowers, swords of all sorts and a guitar case full of guns.

Hollywood goes to war this fall with a bombardment of historical battle epics, contemporary action flicks and sci-fi and fantasy combat, led by the final chapters of two trilogies, "The Matrix Revolutions" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

[Snipped for The Matrix]

Brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski shot both sequels to their 1999 hit "The Matrix" at the same time, continuing their saga of a group of freedom fighters (Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne) battling computers that have enslaved humanity.

"The Matrix Revolutions" hits theaters in early November, just six months after "The Matrix Reloaded."

"The thing that’s kind of neat is that it feels like an event," Moss said. "If I wasn’t in it, I’d be kind of psyched about the movies myself as a fan."

Ducati to Launch the Limited Edition Ducati 998 Matrix and the Monster Matrix 620i.e.

Ducati Motor Holding, a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, is teaming up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a limited edition Ducati 998 (pictured) and Ducati Monster 620i.e., each inspired by The Matrix Reloaded. The motorcycles will be on display at the Ducati stand at the Milano trade show, EICMA (September 16-21), and available for model year 2004 at Ducati Stores and other Ducati dealerships around the world.

Ducati Motor Holding, a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, is teaming up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a limited edition Ducati 998 (pictured) and Ducati Monster 620i.e., each inspired by The Matrix Reloaded. The motorcycles will be on display at the Ducati stand at the Milano trade show, EICMA (September 16-21), and available for model year 2004 at Ducati Stores and other Ducati dealerships around the world.

BOLOGNA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003--Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE:DMH)(Borsa Italiana S.p.A:DMH), a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, today announced that it is teaming up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a limited edition Ducati 998 and Ducati Monster 620i.e., each inspired by "The Matrix Reloaded." The motorcycles will be on display at the Ducati stand at the Milano trade show, EICMA (September 16-21), and available for model year 2004 at Ducati Stores and other Ducati dealerships around the world. Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' action blockbuster "The Matrix Reloaded" is the second chapter in the Wachowski Brothers' revolutionary film trilogy. The worldwide blockbuster features a dramatic road chase on a Ducati Superbike.

The Ducati Superbike is celebrated for its design in countless museums and for its performance on racetracks all over the world. In its various versions, The Ducati Superbike has won more Superbike Championship races than the competition combined. The Ducati Monster has become a cult bike that invented a whole class of motorcycle: the sport naked bike. The Ducati Monster Matrix 620 tweaks the category with a spectacular "Matrix" livery, special paint and graphics. It is instantly the most desirable urban street fighter around.

"Ducati is thrilled to be a part of this hugely exciting film franchise," said David Gross, Ducati Creative Director. "The Matrix Superbike and the Monster Matrix 620 capture all of the thrill of high performance sport motorcycling and the spirit of `The Matrix.' Sport bikes and blockbuster movies just don't get any bigger than this."

"We were pleased to use Ducati Superbikes in creating the unprecedented Freeway Chase sequence in `The Matrix Reloaded', and we're even more excited that two Ducati motorcycles inspired by the film will now be available to our fans," said Joel Silver, producer of the "Matrix" trilogy. "Like the visionary action and visceral storytelling that power the Wachowski Brothers' trilogy, Ducati motorcycles represent innovation, singular style and cutting-edge performance."

This fall, Ducati will celebrate the launch of the Ducati Matrix motorcycles and "The Matrix Reloaded" DVD with a series of global events. In the Netherlands, the retailer Bijenkorf, the leading specialty retailer in Holland, will display the Ducati Matrix 998 at their flagship location in Amsterdam at DAM Square, across from the Palace. Ducati France will launch "The Matrix" night during the week of the Paris Motor Show from the 25th of September to the 5th of October. 400,000 visitors are expected.

October 14 marks the highly anticipated DVD release of the record-shattering blockbuster "The Matrix Reloaded," which has earned over $770 million in worldwide box office to date. Warner Home Video's October 14 street date makes "The Matrix Reloaded" available to fans three weeks before the theatrical release of the final explosive chapter in the phenomenal "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions," on November 5.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in four market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. The Company's motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.ducati.com.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, as described in documents previously filed by the Company with CONSOB and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Matrix," characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of and (C) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Matrix stars could give Hollywood the flick

By Brett Thomas
September 15, 2003
The Sun-Herald

A big effort is being made to secure the stars of The Matrix for the Sydney premiere of the trilogy's last instalment, due to open at local cinemas on November 6.

There were plenty of disappointed Matrix fans earlier this year when the only folk to be found walking the red carpet at Fox Studios for the premiere of The Matrix Reloaded were the usual tragic array of local soapie stars and professional partygoers.

Where was Keanu Reeves? Where was Larry - sorry - Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss? And what about Hugo Weaving? He even lives here, for goodness' sake.

Turns out the big four were required for the Hollywood premiere at the Mann Village Theatre, which took place only days before the Sydney shindig.

A similar conflict is shaping up this time, with the US release date for The Matrix Revolutions being November 5.

Because all three films were shot in Sydney, however, there's a strong possibility Hollywood will get the shove and our four stars will be on a first-class flight from LAX to make the opening of Revolutions one of the don't-miss events of the year.

It's all still To Be Confirmed.

Jack, Keanu, Diane -- gotta love it

By Bob Strauss
Film Writer

There's nothing like being a single woman of a certain age to recharge the old creative juices. At least, that seems to be the case with Nancy Meyers.

After years spent writing safe, mainstream comedies such as "Baby Boom' and the "Father of the Bride' remakes that her ex-husband Charles Shyer directed, Meyers came into her own in a big way when she directed her own script for the blockbuster comedy-fantasy "What Women Want.'

Now, she's back doing double duty again on the most anticipated romantic comedy of the year, "Something's Gotta Give,' in which Jack Nicholson's serial cradle-robbing record executive gives up his latest young conquest (Amanda Peet) when he unexpectedly falls in love with her mother (Meyers favorite Diane Keaton).

"Tons!' Meyers shouts when asked how much personal experience went into "Gotta Give.' "I use myself all the time in my work. It's not always completely real -- I didn't have a relationship with a younger man, the way Diane does with Keanu Reeves in the movie, for example -- but it would be crazy to deny that I pull from my own life.'

Meyers admits that Nicholson's real-life reputation as a superbachelor -- "Every woman who worked on the movie agreed that Jack still has it, no doubt about it,' Meyers says of the 66-year-old superstar's sex appeal -- helps put the picture across. But she's probably proudest of providing her friend Keaton with an opportunity to shine.

"She's a wonderful actress,' Meyers notes. "But unfortunately, as everybody knows, as we get older the parts get smaller and less interesting. This is a big, fat, juicy part for a 55-year-old woman, and it's just been great to see Diane (who's 57 now) in it.'

We can't wait. But even though "Gotta Give' lacks "What Women Want's' fantasy hook, we can't help but wonder if more than a little wish-fulfillment went into the new picture's scenario.

"There's an element of optimism, I would say,' the writer-director suggests. "I think people fall in love at every age. I do.'

"Revolutions" To Premiere at New L.A. Venue

By Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com Staff

HOLLYWOOD, September 11, 2003 -- The Matrix Revolutions will have its world premiere Oct. 27 at the Disney Hall, an new futuristic structure in the downtown area of Los Angeles, Variety reports.

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the $217 million concert hall will have its official opening only four days before the preem of the last installment in the Matrix series. When Revolutions producer Joel Silver, a friend of Gehry, saw the building for the first time during a construction tour last spring, he knew he wanted it to be the place for the premiere. Silver broached the idea to his friend and the designer agreed immediately.

"This is the right building for The Matrix Revolutions," Silver told Variety. "Frank Gehry has a very cinematic style of architecture. People will be blown away by the space and by the picture. When the lights go down, you'll be in the world of the Matrix; when they come up, you'll be in the world of Frank Gehry, which is some futuristic place that is not now."

Though the venue was only recently deemed usable as a film theater, the hall has 2,265 seats, many of which are on the side as well as some which would be behind the screen, Variety reports. Silver estimated the number of total seats available for the premiere would be around 1,800 and that some adjustments may be made to the enhance the acoustics as well.

The hall has an unusually tight schedule of galas, concerts and rehearsals during that first week and will most likely not be available for a film premiere for another year, due to a jam-packed live-performance schedule, Variety reports.

The Matrix Revolutions opens in theaters Nov. 5.

``Matrix'' Trilogy, to World Premiere at New Walt Disney Concert Hall

CORRECTING and REPLACING ``The Matrix Revolutions,'' the Explosive Conclusion to the Blockbuster ``Matrix'' Trilogy, to World Premiere at New Walt Disney Concert Hall

CORRECTION...by Warner Bros. Pictures

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2003--In BW5754 (CA-WARNER-BROS/MATRIX) ``The Matrix Revolutions,'' the Explosive Conclusion to the Blockbuster ``Matrix'' Trilogy, to World Premiere at New Walt Disney Concert Hall, third graph, second & third sentences should read xxx "The Wachowski Brothers feel that at the heart of these films is the hope of integration; the synthesis of our finite knowledge of what is with our infinite beliefs of what might be. The architecture and design of this incredible facility represent the same inspiring aesthetic." The corrected release reads:

``THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS,'' THE EXPLOSIVE CONCLUSION TO THE BLOCKBUSTER ``MATRIX'' TRILOGY, TO WORLD PREMIERE AT NEW WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL; HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EVENT MARKS THE FIRST-EVER FILM PREMIERE AT THE ELEGANT NEW HOME OF THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

On Monday, October 27, Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures will unveil "The Matrix Revolutions," the final chapter in the phenomenal "Matrix" trilogy, at the Los Angeles Music Center's new home for the L.A. Philharmonic, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The highly anticipated event marks the first-ever film premiere at the stunning new venue.

Designed by master architect Frank Gehry and sheathed in shimmering stainless steel, the soaring 2,265-seat Disney Hall was recently praised by Newsweek magazine as "a masterpiece even greater than (Gehry's) spectacular Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain."

"We're thrilled to be staging the world premiere of `The Matrix Revolutions' at Disney Hall," said Joel Silver, producer of the "Matrix" trilogy. "The Wachowski Brothers feel that at the heart of these films is the hope of integration; the synthesis of our finite knowledge of what is with our infinite beliefs of what might be. The architecture and design of this incredible facility represent the same inspiring aesthetic."

Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers, "The Matrix Revolutions" stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Jada Pinkett Smith.

"The Matrix Revolutions" will be released worldwide on November 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

Keanu Skips Out On A "Trap" Date

While most men would junp at the chance to celebrate their birthday with on gorgeous woman - Let alone a bunch of buxom blonde Playboy Bunnies - don't count Keanu Reeves among them. On September 2, the reclusive Matrix star spent his 39th birthday by himself, dining on pasta in a booth at Los Angeles's famed Dan Tana's restaurant. "Hugh Hefner, who was seated close by, sent one of his Playmates to invite Keanu to join them," a source tells Us. Alas, the dinner parties didn't merge. "Keanu said he was happy to spend his big day alone."

Constantine Cast Grows

Rock star Gavin Rossdale and actor Djimon Hounsou are poised to join Warner Brothers' Constantine, based on the DC/Vertigo comic series Hellblazer, for director Francis Lawrence, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz and Tilda Swinton star.

The film centers on John Constantine (Reeves), a man who dabbles in the occult and teams with a female police officer (Weisz) to fight evil forces, the trade paper reported. Rossdale will play Balthazar, a nemesis of Reeves' character; Hounsou will star as Papa Midnite, the owner of an occult club who was once a demon fighter like Constantine, but is now trying to get out of the business, the trade paper reported. Kevin Brodbin wrote the original script, with a rewrite by Mark Bomback and Frank Cappello.

Rossdale is frontman of the rock band Bush. Hounsou starred opposite Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and recently signed on to join ABC's Alias in a recurring role

The Matrix Revolutions to Premiere at Disney Hall Source: Variety Thursday, September 11, 2003

The Matrix Revolutions will world premiere at the Disney Hall on October 27, likely making it the only film to premiere at the new venue in its first year of operation.

Producer Joel Silver, a friend of architect Frank Gehry, made the deal to land the hall as a premiere venue for the Warner Bros./Village Roadshow sequel. During a construction tour last spring of the downtown L.A. site, Silver broached the idea of premiering the film there, and the designer embraced the idea.

"This is the right building for 'The Matrix Revolutions,' " Silver told Variety. "Frank Gehry has a very cinematic style of architecture. People will be blown away by the space and by the picture. When the lights go down, you'll be in the world of the Matrix; when they come up, you'll be in the world of Frank Gehry, which is some futuristic place that is not now."

"Revolutions" opens 10 days after the premiere, on November 5.