Happy 53rd Birthday, Lilly Wachowski! Born today in 1967 as Andrew "Andy" Paul Wachowski (known as Andy Wachowski prior to 2016), this American writer, producer and film and television director works alongside her sister Lana (known as Larry Wachowski prior to 2012). Both are now trans women.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Andy arrived just two and half years after his brother Larry (now Lana), who was born on June 21, 1965.
Both were born sons to American businessman father and a nurse/painter mother. The Wachowski's uncle is American actor, playwright, director and Primetime Emmy Award-winning producer Laurence Luckinbill.
The Wachowskis also have two other sisters named Julie and Laura. Julie was credited as assistant coordinator in her then-brother's 1996 American neo-noir drama/crime thriller film 'Bound'. Julie is currently a novelist and screenwriter.
In the 1980s, the Wachowski brothers attended and graduated from Whitney Young High School, known for its performing arts and science curriculum, in 1983 and 1985 respectively, in both cases under their birth names.
Soon after, the pair flexed their creative muscles early on with frequent meditations on current perceptions of reality and by attempting to conjure up new and original variations of those perceptions.
After attending private liberal arts university Bard College for two years in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Lana subsequently dropped out.
In addition to continuing her philosophical debates with Lilly, she likewise had dropped out of the private university Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Wachowskis afterwards ran a house painting and construction business in Chicago. Beginning in 1993, they both wrote several issues of the fantasy comic book series "Ectokid".
This was while writing for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint, namely "Ectokid", created by English playwright, novelist, film director "Clive Barker's Hellraiser" as well as "Clive Barker's Nightbreed" for the creator-owned imprint of Marvel called Epic Comics.
The Wachowskis were eventually inspired by a book about the legendary American director, producer, and actor Roger Corman ('The Masque of the Red Death'). Corman has also been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema".
Lana insisted that Lilly read Corman's 1990 autobiographical book How I Made A Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime. From this, the duo decided to test their storytelling skills in the form of screenplay writing.
Penning a Corman-style yarn concerning cannibalism of the upper classes, the Wachowskis found that the Hollywood elite were hesitant to embrace the disturbing screenplay, although frequent positive comments regarding its originality and creativity inspired them to keep pursuing their cinematic endeavors.
Re-approaching the same studios a short time later with a script for the film, Warner Bros. bought it and included two more pictures in the contract.
These would eventually become the 1995 American action thriller film ''Assassins' and the 1996 American neo-noir thriller/crime film 'Bound'.
The duo, however, found more disappointment when the 'Assassins' failed to ignite the box office.
It was American director and producer of film and television Richard Donner who headed the feature and had their script "totally rewritten".
This was by American screenwriter, film producer and director Brian Helgeland. However, the Wachowskis tried unsuccessfully to remove their names from the film.
Despite this, they say the experience gave them the perspective that they should become directors or "[they will] never survive as writers in this town." Undaunted, they both decided to take matters into their own hands.
The following year, the Wachowski's next project was 'Bound'. For this, they wrote the script and made this their debut feature as directors.
The film was later well received for its style and craft, and was also noted as one of the first mainstream films to feature a gay relationship without it being central to the plot.
Taking advantage of the positive buzz while also on the heels of their film's success, the duo decided to return to a script that they had been developing for some years.
They Incorporated their frequent philosophical meditations on mythology and perceptions of reality in the internet age into a high-concept action screenplay that would utilize the most modern developments of special effects combined with thrilling martial arts.
For assistance, the Wachowskis later teamed up with American comic book artist Geofrey "Geof" Darrow and Canadian comic book and film storyboard artist of Croatian descent Steve Skrose.
In doing so, they created an enticingly kinetic comic storyboard to pitch to American film producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Joel Silver.
Afterwards, the Wachowskis asked to direct their next picture, and the resulting product, (and the film for which they are best known). This was the 1999 American sci-fi/fantasy action film 'The Matrix'.
With its intellectually highbrow mix of mysticism and mythology, Hong Kong-inspired action, ultra-stylish cyber-noir visuals, and mind-bending bullet time, 'The Matrix' broke box-office records and left fans demanding more.
On a budget of $63 million, the film grossed $465.3 million at the box office.
In North America, it became the fifth highest grossing film of 1999 and the highest grossing R-rated film of 1999. Worldwide, it was the fourth highest grossing film of the year.
Upon release, 'The Matrix' was praised by many critics, as well as filmmakers, and authors of science fiction, especially for its "spectacular action" scenes and its "groundbreaking special effects".
The following year, 'The Matrix' won many accolades. Most notably, these included four Oscar wins for Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. This occurred at the 72nd Academy Awards in late March 2000.
Some have described 'The Matrix' as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, Entertainment Weekly called The Matrix "the most influential action movie of the generation".
The massive success of the film had also sparked a franchise that included animated shorts, video games and two sequels.
In 2001, ‘The Matrix’ ranked in at #66 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills list of the 100 most thrilling American films of all time.
After 'The Matrix' it wasn't long before the Wachowskis began to work on two more films for the series.
These included the 2003 American sci fi/thriller action film 'The Matrix Reloaded' and the 2003 American sci-fi/thriller action film 'The Matrix Revolutions' (both released in May and November of that same year).
Before the film's releases, the Wachowskis wrote four of the nine shorts for (and co-produced) the 2003 American/Japanese animation/sci-fi anthology film 'Animatorikkusu' ('The Animatrix'), based off of The Matrix trilogy.
Released in early June, the film details the backstory of the Matrix universe, including the original war between man and machines which led to the creation of the Matrix itself.
When the live-action 'Reloaded' and 'Revolutions' premiered before and after 'The Animatrix', both films did not exactly live up to their predecessors.
Nonetheless, these films would complete the trilogy about humankind's struggle to reclaim its minds from an ominous and far-reaching conspiracy in which nothing is as it seems and how deep the rabbit hole could truly go.
Two years later, the Wachowskis wrote the screenplay for Australian film and television director James McTeigue's 2005 American/British/German dystopian political action/thriller film 'V for Vendetta'.
As of 2012, 'The Matrix' was placed 122nd on the list of highest grossing films of all time, and the second highest grossing film in the Matrix franchise after 'The Matrix Reloaded' ($742.1 million).
In the 2012 poll of BFI's British monthly film magazine Sight & Sound, 'The Matrix' ranks as one of the greatest films ever made.
Also, in 2012, 'The Matrix' was added to the National Film Registry for preservation, due to its being considered among the best science fiction films of all time.
Three years later, Lilly and her sister co-created the American science fiction drama web television series Sense8 (2015–2018) for Netflix.
This was along with American television and film screenwriter, producer and director, and comic book writer J. Michael Straczynski.
Currently, Lilly is writing and executive producing for American premium television network Showtime's American television comedy series Work in Progress (2019–present).
This was alongside creators American actress, writer and producer Abby McEnany and American writer, director and producer Tim Mason. Work in Progress premiered on December 8, 2019.
Lana, however, is currently in pre-production to direct a fourth Matrix sequel planned for December 22, 2021, which she wrote with English writer, actor and composer David Mitchell and Bosnian-American fiction writer, essayist, and critic Aleksander Hemon.
However, Lilly will not be involved with the film due to working Work in Progress, but gave her blessing to those involved to come up with a story even "better than the original."
Among their credits, the Wachowskis are also known for directing 'Speed Racer' (2008), 'Cloud Atlas' (2012) and 'Jupiter Ascending' (2015).
For 'Cloud Atlas', the Wachowskis co-directed alongside German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer Tom Tykwer ('Run Lola Run').
According to the Wachowski's trademarks, these include frequently casting American actor Joe Pantoliano, using overhead shots when crowds of people enter a room and cutting to the next scene by focusing or entering an object.
The bonds of siblinghood can forge great things, and in the case of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, they had created a vision that has revolutionized the modern approach to sci-fi action cinema.
Even if their ideas for individual stylistic and artistic flourishes may not be entirely original, their remarkable talent for combining the best of both the action and sci-fi universes with high-concept, nearly mythological storytelling.
This has resulted in at least one film that has been imitated, emulated, and parodied arguably more than any other in genre history.
Lilly has been active from 1994–present.
#borntodirect
@lilly_wachowski
@WomenInFilm
@TheMatrixMovie
@ShowtimeOnWatch
@libraryofcongress
@AmericanFilmInstitute
@Sense8TV
@netflixus
@BFI
@bbc
@NBCNews
@theguardian
@entertainmentweekly
@vanityfairmagazine
@Variety
@deadline
@SightSoundmag
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