Trinity leaps tall buildings

"The more smart science fiction that gets made, the better. All the best science fiction is based on stories that make you think. Here, that sensibility is mixed with gut-level fighting"

"All of our stories tend to be set in an alternative world, even Bound to a certain extent," explain the Wachowskis, who prefer not to meet the press individually, communicating instead through jointly signed statements. "We've always enjoyed fiction that relates to other-dimensional realities, in particular [the work of] science fiction writers such as JG Ballard. A few years ago, a friend of ours called to say that his publisher wanted an idea for a new comic-book series and did we have anything. We said no. But, after we'd hung up, we came up with some crazy ideas and, within a 48-hour period, we had a complete story that eventually became The Matrix."

The brothers, who joke that they've worked together for 30 years (in other words, for as long as they've been brothers), created this story at a time when the whole cyberpunk trend was just beginning. "We first thought that it wouldn't translate into a movie because, in a visual sense, cyberspace is not particularly interesting. Our challenge was to make it interesting.

"We began with the premise that every single thing we believe in today, and every physical item, is actually a total fabrication created by an electronic universe. Once you start dealing with an electronic reality, you can really push the boundaries of what might be humanly possible.

Above, Reeves as Neo, the 22nd-century hacker recognized as the 'Chosen One' by rebel leader Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne, below).

So, if the Matrix characters can have instantaneous information downloaded into their heads, they should - for example - be able to be as good a kung-fu master as Jackie Chan!"

It was seeing Bound which convinced Silver and Warner Bros that the best people to direct the Wachowskis' script would be the brothers themselves. And it was a decision no one ever regretted, as Mason's fellow executive producer Barrie M Osborne - whose experience ranges from The Godfather Part II to Face/Off - notes. "These guys, as young as they are and as new as they are," he says, "simply have an incredible ability, a natural style that is unique to them. They're really approachable. Their relationship with the cast is great and they inspire great loyalty."

Mason, who recently produced Dark City, agrees with his partner, adding: "They're quite disciplined people. It's strange when you see someone making an action film and not just shooting the hell out of it, because that's what usually happens. The Wachowskis very definitely have the whole film together in their heads, and the process is just getting that vision down."

Because the Matrix script was so airtight and finely constructed, the cast members - who also include Carrie-Anne Moss from the Due South television series; Hugo Weaving (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert); and Bound star Joe Pantoliano - had to adhere religiously to what was on the page.

"I was a bit concerned about that when we first started," admits Fishburne. "But Larry and Andy are quite visionary as directors in terms of the film they are making, and I never experienced them being at odds with each other about it. Ultimately, I found it an exciting challenge.

"The reason I got really excited about this movie initially," he continues, "is that they explained to me that they were attempting to make a film comparable to Japanese animation films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell. Making a live-action film like that hasn't really been done."