Iraq movies aren’t being received well by audiences. All of Broadway is turning gay. Might there be room for some successful merging of ideas? And have the Wachowski Brothers Wachowski brother and sister found out how to execute it?
Andy and Lana (nee Larry) Wachowski, the duo behind The Matrix, are reportedly shopping around a gay love story set in Iraq. It’ll be “a drama that focuses on a ‘hard R’ [rating] homosexual relationship between a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi. It’s a cinema verite-style treatment that begins in the near future and then spans back over years that include the current war in Iraq. I’ve heard the siblings completed the script, want to direct it next, and that it is out to financiers.”
And what’s this about an Arianna Huffington tie-in? “It’s possible that this is related to some test footage that Arianna Huffington and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura shot last December with the Wachowskis, for what Huffington called a ‘movie on Iraq from the perspective of the future.'”
Now here come the Brokeback Mountain comparisons, because that’s the only gay love story anybody knows.
How about we take this to the next level?
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trickstertara
Good to see Lana Wachowski’s finally coming out (the side item on GayChicago with this one mentioned that her IMDB page now lists her as “Lana”, not Larry — take that Joel Silver!). I hope this story’s better than their adaptation of Speed Racer.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@trickstertara: They also made Bound so they definitely have the talent to make a great film if they want.
D'oh, The Magnificent
Its interesting to read how the phobes on entertainment blogs see this. According to them, this movie will never fly. So, I am curious what other gay people think. Is this something that gay people would want to see or are we relegated to the same movies over and over again?
james_in_cambridge
The movie sounds like it’ll be expensive to produce & it’s a “hard R gay love story” so no way will Hollywood will finance it. Like the article says, there’s hasn’t been one movie about terrorism or the war in Iraq that’s made even a little amount of money (including last year’s best picture winner) and then throw in the gay angle and they really think this will get produced? Plus, unfortunately, the Wachowski’s have lost all the fanboys as a result of the terrible Matrix sequels, Speed Racer and V for Vendetta (which is what really pissed me off…they wrecked this coulda-been great movie). This will never be released in theaters but they might get HBO to finance it which would be the smart way to go…
Devon
@D’oh, The Magnificent:
I’d totally watch it. Sounds like an interesting premise, and I’ve like most of what the Wachowskis have turned out; The Matrix and Ninja Assassin especially. I thought Speed Racer was their only big miss.
Assuming they find someone to fund it, I’m there.
@james_in_cambridge:
What are you talking about? The Matrix has no sequels…
lemonhat
You guys are insane. Speed Racer is a masterpiece. It’s just mesmerisingly brilliant.
If this Iraq movie is made I’d be there day one. It better be a really hard R as well.
Samwise
I can completely understand why Iraq war movies don’t do well. Speaking just for myself, movies about 9/11 or the war on terror just feel like they’re too soon, too close to home. It makes me uncomfortable to see it fictionalized while we’re still living it. Regardless, this sounds like a touching concept and if a studio actually does pick it up, I’ll get over my reservations and go see it. It would be nice for the mainstream media to start seriously talking about the grim situation for gay men in post-invasion Iraq, and movies are definitely capable of sparking discussions like that.
And might I just say, how awesome is Lana Wachowski? It’s very brave of her to come out as trans in the public spotlight, transition in front of the world, and keep making movies with her brother – especially when they feature gay storylines. (Don’t forget – in addition to “Bound,” they also kept the lesbian subplot in “V for Vendetta” and actually added a NEW gay character that wasn’t in the graphic novel!)
Shall we call them The Wachowski Siblings now?
D'oh, The Magnificent
@james_in_cambridge: 3 Kings. Look it up. some times just because people say something doesn’t mean its true.
For instance, Hurt Locker, cost 15 mil to produce and grossed 42 mil.
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hurtlocker.htm
On an indie budget that’s considered pretty good.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@james_in_cambridge: Also re-read the project description. The story is not about the war.