‘The Matrix Resurrections’: The ‘Intense’ Skyscraper Jump Was Almost Cancelled
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss took the jump off of a skyscraper for real in The Matrix Resurrections. Critics and audiences watched the stunt in complete awe, as the stunt really goes all-out to give the most epic experience possible for the sci-fi installment. However, SFX supervisor J.D. Schwalm said that the stunt almost didn’t happen in The Matrix Resurrections.
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ sees Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss jump off a skyscraper
Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections returns to the world of two realities. Neo (Reeves) now lives in San Francisco as a game developer under the name Thomas A. Anderson. However, he doesn’t recognize Trinity (Moss), who now goes by the name of Tiffany. Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) pursues Neo to open his mind to the world once again. However, he refuses to leave Trinity behind.
The epic climax finds Neo convincing Trinity to return to reality. She embraces her true self and the two lovers decide to fight for their future. A motorcycle chase takes them throughout the city. They ultimately end up at the top of a skyscraper, where the agents swarm them. However, they decide to take a leap of faith together off of the building. Neo and Trinity survive the jump and their love perseveres.
SFX supervisor J.D. Schwalm said the ‘intense’ skyscraper jump almost didn’t happen
Yahoo Entertainment UK interviewed Schwalm to discuss his experience working on Wachowski’s sequel. They discussed the skyscraper jump in The Matrix Resurrections that had audiences around the world talking. However, the stunt almost didn’t happen. It’s possible that the world could have had a very different final iteration of The Matrix Resurrections without that scene.
“The most nerve-wracking one was when they did jump off the building,” Schwalm said. “We filmed the jump in the morning as the last shot of the day after filming all night. But the evening of [the jump], we got word that we were not gonna do it.”
Schwalm continued: “The studio and the insurance company and whatnot wasn’t going to allow the actors to get on the rig. It was down to the wire and ultimately somebody showed up, gave the green light and it happened that day. It was pretty intense.”
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ misses out at the Oscars 2022
The Matrix Resurrections is one of 2021’s biggest action movies. It belongs to the Wachowskis’ legendary sci-fi franchise, which will remain timeless. Many audiences expected to see The Matrix Resurrections reach the Oscars 2022 in the technical categories. However, even the impressive visual effects and stuntwork weren’t enough to earn a nod.
The Matrix Resurrections scored a stunt ensemble nomination at the SAG Awards 2022, but it lost against Daniel Craig’s final James Bond outing in No Time to Die. The film also earned a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects so at least the film’s visual achievement is getting some love during this awards season.
