Epic is already using Unreal Engine 5 to power the latest iteration of its massively popular “Fortnite” game. “I’m sure episodic TV shows will use that,” he said.Įpic makes Unreal Engine free for filmmakers to use it charges a licensing fee if a developer uses the content as part of interactive game or VR experience.

But he predicted that the platform and “The Matrix Awakens” assets will be appealing to filmmakers looking to quickly and inexpensively create metro streetscapes. Libreri conceded that VFX pros will be able to tell the difference between, say, the real Keanu Reeves and the version fabricated by Unreal Engine 5. Wachowski added, “Whatever the future of cinematic storytelling, Epic will play no small part in its evolution.” And holy shit, what a sandbox it is! I imagine the first company to build an actual Matrix - a fully immersive, persistent world - will be a game company and Epic is certainly paving the way there.” In a statement, she recalled, “When I told them I was making another Matrix film, they suggested I come and play in the Epic sandbox. “We wanted to create a city that would benefit anyone who wants to reuse it,” Libreri said.Ī few years ago, Libreri and John Gaeta - both of whom were part of the VFX team for the first three “Matrix” movies - met with Lana Wachowski for lunch. Įpic plans to release all the creative assets used to build the virtual Matrix city (and its AI-powered vehicles and pedestrians) next year alongside the final release of Unreal Engine 5. and then wander around the metropolis in an open-world exploration. “How do we know what is real?” Reeves says in the opener for “The Matrix Awakens.”įollowing the cinematic intro, users can engage in gameplay - shooting at evil agents from a speeding car in a chase across in a virtual city about the size of L.A. Epic’s 3Lateral team captured high-fidelity 3D scans of Reeves and Moss’ faces and 4D captures of their performances in its studio in Novi Sad, Serbia. But with the exception of a brief video clip of Reeves, the actors and characters in “The Matrix Awakens” (including a de-aged Keanu) are entirely digital re-creations.

The actors provided voiceovers for the project. Written and cinematically directed by Lana Wachowski, “The Matrix Awakens” features Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity (and also appearing as themselves).

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