Matrix Cinematographer Says Shooting Sequels Was 'Soul-Numbing': 'I Didn't Like Them'
At least one creative behind the Matrix movies could do without the sequels.
In an appearance on the Team Deakins podcast on Sunday, cinematographer Bill Pope reflected on his experiences as director of photography on the sci-fi trilogy, explaining that the two follow-up films paled in comparison to the Oscar-winning 1999 original.
"Everything that was good about the first experience was not good about the last two," Pope, 68, said about The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003.
"We weren’t free anymore. People were looking at you; there was a lot of pressure," he recalled, according to Yahoo! "In my heart, I didn’t like them. I felt we should be going in another direction. There was a lot of friction and a lot of personal problems, and it showed up on-screen, to be honest with you."
Pope — who's worked on several large-scale productions, from 2004's Spider-Man 2 to 2016's The Jungle Book — explained that writer/directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski insisted on a lengthy shoot for the sequels.
"The Wachowskis had read this damn book by Stanley Kubrick that said actors don’t do natural performances until you wear them out. So let’s go to take 90!" joked Pope. "I want to dig Stanley Kubrick up and kill him."
"There is something about making a shoot that long, 276 shoot days, that is mind-numbing and soul-numbing, and it numbs the movie," he added.
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Jasin Boland/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
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Pope is currently working on the upcoming Marvel superhero movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, due in theaters May 2021.
In August, The Hollywood Reporter reported that John Toll would serve as cinematographer for the upcoming Matrix 4. The Oscar-winner previously worked with the Wachowskis on 2012's Cloud Atlas and 2015's Jupiter Ascending.
Production on the fourth entry in the franchise was halted earlier this year due to the pandemic, however, the film's stars — including Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss — were spotted in Berlin last month, presumably to to resume filming.
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In June, Reeves, 55, explained to Empire magazine why he decided to sign on to the new Matrix film, 17 years after he last played Neo.
"Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me," Reeves said. "That's the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It's been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from."
The Matrix 4 is expected to be released in April 2022.
