Lilly Wachowski is one half of the writing and directing team formerly known as the Wachowski brothers. The pair is best known for the Matrix trilogy but they've made a few more films both before and after that. Both the brothers have since announced they are trans. Lana Wachowski transitioned first, circa 2010 and Lilly Wachowski followed circa 2016.
This week, Lilly Wachowski is in the news because a new film Lilly wrote and wants to direct can't get any funding. This came up on a podcast where Lilly claimed she has a great script that people like but no one wants to give her $10 million to fund a movie full of trans people.
During a recent interview on KCRW’s The Business podcast, the filmmaker acknowledged that it’s unfortunately “not the greatest time in the industry to be trying to make these kinds of things because all of these opportunities are dwindling for folks with those kinds of stories to tell,” specifically those with “underrepresented voices and marginalized points of view.”...
Wachowski used her next project, The Hunted, as an example, saying it’s been a challenge because when she showed the script around Hollywood, nobody wanted to finance the dystopian political thriller that’s budgeted at roughly $10 million.
“People like it, but they really don’t want to make it because it’s [got a] wall-to-wall trans cast,” she said of the film. “I have to get creative and figure out different ways that I can get this in front of people.”
Wachowski added that the script, which she co-wrote with her partner, Mickey Ray Mahoney, “was extremely important for me to write.” She continued, “It was a response to what is happening in the world for trans people, and it gave me a hugely cathartic receptacle to dump all of my anger and rage and frustration into.”
Wachowski held a table read of the script in Los Angeles to try to promote the project but it seems that, so far, no one is willing to put up the money. And clearly, the takeaway we're all supposed to agree upon that this can only be the result of anti-trans bigotry.
But let me suggest another perspective. The Wachowskis made The Matrix back in 1999 and it's an undeniably great film. That led to two sequels which were not great but which did well at the box office. What about since then?
Well, in 2006 they made V for Vendetta, a movie which did okay at the box office but not great. It finished with a worldwide box office total of $135 million on a budget of about $50 million. But in addition to the production costs, the studio also spends a lot to advertise, in this case it was probably $25 million or more. So add that up and you need about $135 million to break even since the box office money gets split with the theaters showing the film. Like I said, it did okay but not great. Personally, I hate this movie.
Then in 2008 they made Speed Racer. That film had a budget of around $120 million and advertising costs that were probably north of $80 million. And it was a bomb at the box office, released just a week after Iron Man. The studio probably lost $100 million on this one. I grew up watching this show so I sort of enjoyed this one even though it's not what I'd call a masterpiece.
In 2012 the pair released Cloud Atlas. That one was independently financed and has a budget north of $100 million and a big cast including Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Worldwide the film made $130 million. That means it would have lost money on the production budget alone. But if you add in the promotional costs, the film probably lost between $75 and $100 million. I watched this film and thought it was pretty awful.
In 2015, they released Jupiter Ascending. This one again had a star cast with Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis and Eddie Redmayne. The film was budgeted for $130 million but wound up costing closer to $200 million. Add in promotion and who knows. The film had a worldwide box office of $184 million. This one definitely lost at least $100 million. If you saw it, you know why. It's a mess in every possible way.
And at that point the Wachowskis moved to television.
So let me suggest that there may be a reason no one wants to hand Lilly Wachowski $10 million for a film about angry trans people and it's not just bigotry in Hollywood. Since the Matrix, Wachowski movies have lost studios a ton of money. In fact, Google tells me a ton of $100 bills would only be $90 million. So the Wachowskis have actually lost Hollywood several tons of money in the past 20 years.
Granted, with a $10 million budget your losses are pretty limited but who is going to come see this thing? The appeal would be pretty limited based on the description.
What's surprising is that Netflix or one of the other streamers hasn't offered to fund this. They buy up these little independent films and $10 million is nothing to them. Netflix made $11 billion in profit last year. So, I don't know, maybe the studios really are unwilling to be in the trans movie business at the moment. Or maybe the script just isn't very good. If you saw Jupiter Ascending then you know that's also possible.
