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Matrix Reloaded Filming Wants to Shut Sydney Down

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-for-a-couple-days-anyway dept.

ro_len writes "News.com.au is reporting the producers of the Matrix Realoaded are looking to shut down Sydney for the filming of the final scene which involves flying a helicopter across the city at less than 600 feet above ground. It is supposed to be the most complicated sequence ever filmed." Just plain nuts. Here is a previous story about the trailer, and another one announcing the film.

5 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. What I did for summer vacation by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't that what movie sets are for? Can't they rebuild a replica of the city they want on some backlot?

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  2. most complicated != best stunt by f00zbll · · Score: 4, Interesting
    like the matrix and watched a dozen times, but shutting down a whole city does seem a bit extreme. It's good they are thinking about people's safety and also secrecy, but is it really necessary.

    I just hope the W brothers don't kill themselves in the process of trying to "out do" the original matrix. The two of them have already spent quite a few years to this effort. It's always tough when a director makes a really successful movie, because the expectation are set unrealitically high. If they manage to pull it off, they may become hollywood heavy weights. If they flop, it's going to be a costly blunder.

  3. Not the first time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the beginning of the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, he runs around an empty Times Square. Word has it that Hollywood paid $3 million to shut down the most active city in the world for a few early morning hours.

  4. Re:cities as publicity stunts by Bonker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Funny, I thought that cities were for living in and business, etc, etc, not for rich-ass movie companies to play with.

    You've just got no clue why cities want movies to be filmed in their jurisdictions

    Think about the budget for big-time blockbusters like Matrix 2 and 3, both of which are being filmed in and around Sydney. Together, they probably total around 300-500 million dollars. Much of that money will be spent on production. A significant portion of that money is spent on things adjacent to the filming process, like catering, for example.

    There are restaurants in Sydney that will be made for life with the massive amounts of catering required by such a huge production. Even if Carrie Ann Moss isn't allowed to have more than a celery stick for every meal so that she still looks good in skin-tight latex as Trinity, you can bet that Bubba the gaffer and Hank the electrician want steak and potatos for every meal. Both the Wachowski brothers are big guys. I bet they don't skimp on the catering either.

    Also, since the actors have been in Sydney for about a year, do you think they're living in trailers? Probably they're living in fancy hotel aparments for thousands of dollars a month.

    Money makes it worth it.

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  5. Godzilla by Joao · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I remember when they were filming Godzilla here in NYC. I was trying to get to work, and they had closed off 23rd street to shoot one of those "tons-O-fish falling from the sky" scenes. There were a bunch of us standing there for several minutes on rush hour, trying to get to work or school, and the one security guy holding us back. Then one guy decided to just keep going, and the whole crowd just marched ahead while the security guy kept trying to hold people back.

    I wonder how many security guards they're gonna need to hold back a city's entire population.