Director in Hollywood

After the project launch press conference, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron immediately began their training.

Meanwhile, the matter involving Jackie Chan had also yielded results. When Yuen Woo-ping heard that it was Hollywood director Gilbert Landrini who had personally extended the invitation, he didn't immediately agree as some might have expected.

As a stunt choreographer with a strong sense of pride, Yuen Woo-ping harbored a certain disdain for Westerners, particularly in an era when Westerners generally looked down on Chinese talent.

So, he set his price high—a staggering $4 million.

Of course, the production team wasn't going to agree to such an amount. The most they could offer was $500,000.

Thus, a drawn-out negotiation began. However, Gilbert had no patience for this kind of back-and-forth. Yuen Woo-ping wasn't the only action choreographer available from Hong Kong.

Under Gilbert's orders, the negotiators started reaching out to Yuen Woo-ping's team members while also looking for alternative Hong Kong stunt choreographers.

While Yuen Woo-ping himself wasn't particularly eager to earn U.S. dollars, his team certainly was. Some key figures in his crew were beginning to show signs of leaving, and with Jackie Chan personally flying to Hong Kong to persuade him, Yuen Woo-ping finally relented.

After all, action choreography was a team effort. Without his crew, he wouldn't be able to function at the same level.

Eventually, both parties reached an agreement—the production team increased their offer slightly, securing Yuen Woo-ping and his team for $700,000.

After signing the contract, Yuen Woo-ping immediately flew to Los Angeles with his team to collaborate with Gilbert's go-to stunt coordinator, Tony Ridley, taking on the film's action design.

Gilbert spoke with Yuen Woo-ping:

"I want you to incorporate elements of Chinese martial arts into the film. The fight scenes need to be flashy and make the audience feel like they're witnessing something truly cool."

Yuen Woo-ping called over two of his stunt coordinators to demonstrate a routine and then asked, "Like this?"

"Make it even more exaggerated," Gilbert instructed. "This film takes place inside the Matrix, so we can defy the laws of physics and pull off moves that would be impossible in the real world.

"That's why I need you to design a unique fighting style for this."

Yuen Woo-ping agreed without hesitation. He was a master of his craft, and within a few days, he had already developed a new set of action sequences.

Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron had to train extensively to master these new moves, but Gilbert wasn't going to push them beyond reason.

For particularly difficult action scenes, Gilbert had already arranged for stunt doubles.

Not every actor was like Tom Cruise, willing to go to extreme lengths. The safety of the cast had to be considered.

Once Hugo Weaving passed his audition and was cast as Agent Smith, he too joined the stunt team's training sessions.

Compared to Charlize Theron, who had some prior preparation, Keanu Reeves had to work much harder in training.

He needed to reach the level Gilbert required, or the film's start date would be indefinitely delayed.

To ensure Keanu Reeves stayed on track, his agent remained on-site with the production team, constantly keeping him focused.

The agent often used amusing tactics to keep Reeves motivated, warning him that Gilbert might replace him with another actor at any moment.

He would say things like:

"Johnny Depp really wants this role."

"Leonardo DiCaprio has been begging for this part."

"Brad Pitt got a bruise on his knee—definitely from kneeling—so he must be a strong contender for the role."

Later, Keanu Reeves directly asked Johnny Depp about it. Depp's response was:

"F***, I was never even offered this role! If I had been, do you think you'd still have it? S***..."

That was when Reeves finally understood—he just had to cooperate with the production team, and he wouldn't be replaced. Gilbert had personally chosen him, and as long as he didn't mess up, no one could kick him out.

In truth, Gilbert was quite confident in Keanu Reeves. After all, the original film's performance spoke for itself.

Reeves' acting range might have been average, but when it came to playing cool and stylish characters, he was a natural.

The real concern about casting Reeves came from Warner Bros. and Disney.

And that was understandable.

Keanu Reeves had recently flopped with Speed 2, and the box office numbers for several of his films after Speed hadn't been great either.

Given his track record, it was only natural that the investors were skeptical.

However, since Gilbert had the final say on casting, the investors ultimately chose to trust him.

Even if they didn't, what could they do? Fire the director? Restrict his creative control through producers?

Hollywood was generally a producer-driven industry, but for top-tier directors like Gilbert or Steven Spielberg, those restrictions didn't mean much.

Besides, high-profile directors like Gilbert and Spielberg often acted as producers on their own films, or placed trusted allies in key production roles to ensure full control over the project.

So, if there were any conflicts between the producer and Gilbert, the one to be dismissed would definitely be the producer—not Gilbert.

Warner Bros. and Disney certainly didn't want any conflicts between their producers and Gilbert. Hollywood's hottest director was now fully tied to their studios.

If Gilbert ever felt dissatisfied and decided to return to his old studio, Universal, or join Paramount or 20th Century Fox, those studios would welcome him with open arms.

The rest of the casting was gradually finalized through auditions.

Laurence Fishburne was cast as Morpheus, Joe Pantoliano as Cypher, Gloria Foster as the Oracle, and Robert Taylor as Agent Jones.

Apart from the main roles, which were personally decided by Gilbert, the remaining auditions were overseen by the two assistant directors, with the final list submitted to Gilbert for approval.

In The Sixth Sense, Gilbert's father had only made a brief cameo, but this time, he appeared again in The Matrix. The old man had become addicted to acting, seemingly eager to make a full return to Hollywood.

However, he only accepted roles in his son's films and declined all other offers.

He was worried that if he fully returned to Hollywood, it might bring unnecessary trouble for Gilbert.

As for why he left the industry years ago, the old man never explained, and Gilbert wisely refrained from asking.

Scarlett still played a small role in this film. To this day, she hadn't achieved her dream of becoming the leading actress in a Gilbert movie, which left her quite frustrated.

This film required a significant number of visual effects shots, especially the groundbreaking "bullet time" sequences.

To handle this, Gilbert assigned the project to his own Orange VFX Studio for the primary effects work. Anything they couldn't handle would be outsourced to Industrial Light & Magic.

However, these concerns were largely unnecessary. With the rapid advancements in computer technology, visual effects technology was evolving at an unprecedented pace.

In this new era, Industrial Light & Magic, Orange VFX Studio, and James Cameron's Digital Domain were all starting from the same baseline.

Compared to ILM, Orange VFX Studio had a unique advantage—it could leverage technological support from Gilbert's internet company.

In terms of physical model-making, Orange VFX Studio wasn't as skilled as ILM. But in computer-generated effects, it had taken a slight lead due to its ability to adapt quickly to new technological advancements.

After Gilbert conveyed his vision to the VFX supervisor, the team quickly assembled a crew to develop a digital effects plan.

Gilbert reviewed it and found it impressive. With his approval, Orange VFX Studio began working on the visual effects even before filming started.

One of the unique aspects of The Matrix was its distinct cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring a biomechanical visual style.

To achieve this, in addition to CGI work, Orange VFX Studio collaborated with the film's production designer, Celina Haife, and comic book artist Geoff Darrow.

Using Gilbert's rough sketches as a foundation, the props team built an eight-meter-long model of a giant mechanical squid.

With built-in circuitry, the giant squid model could perform limited movements. To enhance its menacing appearance, its eyes took up most of its head, glowing with a blood-red hue.

Additionally, the props team constructed several human incubation pods, which would later be digitally duplicated to create the illusion of thousands of identical pods.

The mechanical squid would navigate through these pods like a farmer inspecting their crops.

This eerie and surreal imagery was sure to leave a deep impression on the audience.

Another fascinating design element was the Nebuchadnezzar.

In the initial designs, the ship looked too polished and pristine—more like a brand-new vessel than a makeshift one. Gilbert rejected this concept.

He explained to the design team, "This ship was built using whatever materials were available, so the interior should look aged. It should have repurposed parts from old machinery.

"The wiring should be chaotic, some of it completely exposed. Tools and equipment should be scattered everywhere."

After hearing Gilbert's feedback, the second version of the Nebuchadnezzar design was much improved—it finally looked like a ship pieced together by survivors in a post-apocalyptic world.

Once the design was finalized, the crew built a 1:15 scale model of the ship at Warner Bros. Studios. They also constructed the full-size interior sets for filming.

Beyond the production itself, the film also secured a significant amount of revenue through product placement.

Oakley sunglasses paid $1 million, Nokia provided $5 million, Pepsi (a rival to Coca-Cola) contributed $3 million, Apple added $2 million, while Facebook and Chiquita each invested $2 million and $3 million, respectively.

Additional sponsors included car manufacturers, electronics brands, and clothing companies.

Even before filming began, the film had already secured $25 million in advertising sponsorships.

Gilbert's films had always been highly attractive to advertisers. His movies delivered great exposure and strong commercial appeal. Over the years, the ad placement fees in his films had continued to rise.

Product placement was inevitable—after all, filmmaking was a business. If advertisers were willing to pay upfront, it was a good deal.

As long as it wasn't as excessive as some movies Gilbert had seen in his previous life, audiences wouldn't mind.

In fact, sometimes viewers wouldn't even realize they were watching an ad.

Moreover, Gilbert negotiated with these brands to collaborate on promotional tie-ins during the film's release.

For example, launching sunglasses modeled after those worn by Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, selling a special edition Nokia phone identical to Agent Smith's, and other exclusive Matrix-themed products.

These merchandising opportunities would continue generating revenue long after the film's release.

Movies weren't just movies—they were massive advertising platforms for these branded products.

In addition to overseeing the pre-production and merchandising strategies, Gilbert also visited the set to observe the actors' training.

To meet Gilbert's standards, the cast had to undergo intense physical training.

But no one complained.

Unlike some of the young actors Gilbert had dealt with in his past life, these Hollywood stars understood their responsibilities and fully cooperated with the production.

If he were working with certain young actors from his previous life, Gilbert would be in serious trouble.

He recalled an incident from his past life when he was directing a martial arts web series. The lead actor, who was supposed to play an expert fighter, sprained his ankle and took half a month off.

Gilbert never found out if the injury was real, but that's what the actor's agent claimed. They also forbade the crew from visiting him.

A few days later, Gilbert saw the actor on a variety show—perfectly healthy.

That was when he understood why veteran actors relied so heavily on stunt doubles. It wasn't that they wanted to use them—it was that certain actors were simply too fragile and unavailable.

Stunt doubles existed to perform dangerous moves that actors couldn't handle. But ideally, actors would still perform their own basic action scenes.

Unfortunately, those actors couldn't even manage that. At the slightest injury, they would disappear for weeks, delaying the entire production.

The worst part? They weren't actually resting—they were using the time to take on paid appearances at other events.

From that point on, Gilbert made it a rule to use stunt doubles whenever possible. He couldn't afford to let these unreliable actors slow him down.

If he insisted on making them perform their own stunts, he'd be the one getting replaced—not them. After all, the investors were the ones demanding these actors, and as a director, he had no say in casting decisions.

But things were different now. Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron were fully committed to their training—no slacking off, no fake injuries.

Gilbert wasn't trying to criticize Chinese actors as a whole. There were plenty of great ones—they just didn't always get opportunities.

Then again, Hollywood in a few decades wouldn't be much better. They were also facing a talent drought and getting caught up in political correctness, even producing absurd films like Black Mermaid.

Hollywood still dominated global cinema, but only because of its well-established industry and cultural influence.

Watching the actors train, Gilbert asked Yuen Woo-ping, "How much longer will they need?"

"Kung fu is a profound art. To master it requires great dedication," Yuen said.

"No problem—I just need them to look good on camera," Gilbert replied.

"That's easy enough," Yuen Woo-ping said. "As long as their physical fitness is up to par, they just need to practice a few routines to meet the requirements." He pointed at the fitness equipment on the sidelines. "The actors must build enough stamina to endure the training."

"Good," Gilbert said with satisfaction. "Make sure they stay safe. If they get injured, it'll be a big hassle."

He couldn't help but internally mock these Westerners—how could you shoot a kung fu film without getting hurt? But Yuen Woo-ping still assured him, "Don't worry. I'll have Chen Tiger personally oversee everything. There won't be any issues."

Chen Tiger was a member of Yuen Woo-ping's team and fluent in both English and Cantonese.

Gilbert's Mandarin was quite fluent, but Yuen Woo-ping wasn't very proficient, so Gilbert didn't bother showing off his Chinese skills and simply let Chen Tiger act as the translator.

In fact, quite a few members of Yuen Woo-ping's team spoke decent Mandarin.

Privately, Gilbert overheard some of them speaking in Mandarin: "Keep the real, best moves hidden. Don't let these Westerners learn them."

Hearing this, Gilbert wanted to laugh. These Hong Kong filmmakers were still so conservative, unwilling to embrace progress.

Did they really think they could preserve the foundation of Hong Kong cinema by keeping things secret?

The world outside was changing rapidly, yet they were still clinging to their old ways.

In reality, ever since The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in Hong Kong, the local film industry had already been doomed. The only path to survival was moving north.

Unfortunately, only a handful of people realized this. The industry as a whole resisted the idea of heading north.

Gilbert had no interest in getting involved in these matters. Just like how they privately called him a "Westerner," he was indeed an outsider. They wouldn't listen to him.

Compared to their circle, Gilbert had a much better relationship with the north.

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