In other movie news....

[thewayne]

My wife worked Sunday and Monday, which means I dug into my Movies To Watch list. Among them was the 2008 visual effects overload by the Wachowskis, Speed Racer. While digging into the IMDB entry for the film, I came across some very sad news: the Wachowskis are closing their Chicago office! Basically they don't have anything production and nothing coming down the pipeline, and keeping the office open just isn't viable right now. Very sad. It's pretty big and includes a 36 seat movie theater and a half court basketball court and is listed for $5mill, far under what it cost to buy and renovate.

https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/wachowskis-closing-production-offices-no-projects-development-1202015170/


In other news, next August (as currently scheduled) we'll be seeing a new series on the big screen: Kenneth Branaugh is bringing us the first book of Eoin Colfer's eight book series Artemis Fowl. I was not familiar with the series, aside from understanding that it's quite popular YA lit. Dame Judy is cast as Commander Root, the head of the Lower Elements Police, and the initial trailer - included in the link - looks quite good.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/criminal-boy-genius-takes-on-world-of-fairies-in-new-artemis-fowl-trailer/

Comments

[dewline]

Rotten news, that, about the Wachowski office.

[thewayne]

It is sad.  They produce good product overall, I don't know why they'd be out in the cold like this.

[silveradept]

I have a suspicion or two that has to do with the fact that we're now calling them "the Wachowskis" rather than the the moniker they earned when working on, say, The Matrix.

[thewayne]

Both of them transitioning rather abruptly like that probably cost them a lot of capitol in Hollywood.  Hollywood handles GLB pretty well, but I don't think they like having the T rubbed in their faces. There was an astronomer who transitioned, M->F.  She later gave a presentation at a conference.  Afterwards two scientists were overheard talking "Good presentation, but she's not as good as her brother."