‘The Matrix’ Director Lilly Wachowski Says Hollywood Won’t Finance Her $10 Million Thriller Because It’s Got a ‘Wall-to-Wall Trans Cast’

Filmmaker Lilly Wachowski is working to get her next project, “The Hunted,” out of late-stage production. But the “Bound” and “Matrix” director says nobody in Hollywood wants to finance the thriller, which is budgeted at around $10 million, because of its trans representation. “People like it, but they really don’t want to make it because it’s [got a] wall-to-wall trans cast,” Wachowski said on KCRW’s “The Business” podcast last Friday. “I have to get creative and figure out different ways that I can get this in front of people.” “This is a script that 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.” Popular on Variety Wachowski co-wrote the project with her partner, Mickey Ray Mahoney. While facing difficulties getting “The Hunted” off the ground, which is currently in development through Anarchists United and Natasha Lyonne’s Ariadne banner, Wachowski assembled a live table read at Los Angeles’ Dynasty Typewriter theater from Aug. 7-8. “I’m just going to go out and I’m going to grab that trans joy with all of my friends,” Wachowski said of her thought process. “It’s not the thing that I had imagined it was going to be, but the end result is the same.” Wachowski is known for her many sci-fi collaborations with her sister, Lana Wachowski. After directing 1999’s “The Matrix,” the two went on to helm sequels like “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions.” The pair also directed the cult classic “Speed Racer,” “Cloud Atlas” and “Jupiter Ascending.”