The Matrix director is struggling to secure funding for her next feature film. Lilly Wachowski’s project The Hunted explores transphobia through a dystopian action story. However, studios reportedly remain concerned about its predominantly trans cast.
According to World of Reel, Wachowski discussed the project during an interview with KCRW’s The Business. She co-wrote the screenplay with her partner, Mickey Ray Mahoney. The film is titled The Hunted and would cost approximately $10 million to produce.
Wachowski described the screenplay as a “cathartic receptacle” for “anger and rage and frustration.” She said, “It’s a response to what is happening in the world for trans people. People like it, but they really don’t want to make it because it’s wall-to-wall trans cast.”
The story takes place in a dystopian America where transgender people face violence and forced erasure. After a brutal crime, members of a trans community organize mutual support and resistance. Two trans women then search for the person responsible, eventually uncovering connections to the highest levels of government.
What else has Lilly Wachowski made besides The Matrix?
Lilly Wachowski has worked on several films and TV projects outside The Matrix. Alongside her sister Lana, she directed Bound in 1996 before making The Matrix three years later.
The sisters later worked on Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending. Wachowski also helped create and write the Netflix series Sense8, which ran from 2015 to 2018. She later directed episodes of Work in Progress and worked as a writer and producer on the series. Her other credits include V for Vendetta, which she and Lana wrote and produced. The Hunted would mark Wachowski’s return to feature filmmaking after Jupiter Ascending in 2015.
While financing remains uncertain, Wachowski recently presented the screenplay through a live table read. The event took place at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. Her production company, Anarchists United, is developing the film. Natasha Lyonne is attached as producer.
Originally reported by Surya Singh on ComingSoon.net
