The Wachowskis are some of the most ambitious filmmakers working today, but their unproduced script for Carnivore highlights a compelling interest in campy B-horror that the directors haven’t been able to indulge yet.

The Wachowskis don’t always make perfect films, but they’re individuals who create massive original worlds in a way that’s become a lost art. The two are directors that love to challenge themselves and the medium of film. The heights that they hit in movies like The Matrix and Speed Racer are still benchmarks of the genre, and pure spectacle.

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The Matrix Trilogy opened so many doors for the Wachowskis and even when their movies receive a mixed reception they still manage to be visual masterpieces that are distinctly unique. The Wachowskis are currently most famous for their transformative work in science fiction, but the first script that they ever wrote was actually a low-budget horror film in the style of Roger Corman’s pictures. Carnivore is an absurd tale about millionaires who become fodder for cannibals, and marks a very different side of the Wachowskis’ sensibilities as filmmakers.

Why The Wachowskis Haven't Made Carnivore (Yet)

The Wachowskis were incredibly passionate about Carnivore, but right from the start, they were aware that selling it would be an uphill task. Executives frequently attacked the anti-capitalist message, and cited the film as “too weird”. However, unsurprisingly the release of The Matrix in 1999 reinvigorated interest in the project from Trimark. Despite Trimark bringing George Romero onto the project, the film still stalled in development and both Trimark and Romero eventually exited. The Wachowskis continued to try to make progress on the movie as late as 2003 when their frequent cinematographer Bill Pope would have made Carnivore his directorial debut. Even then, the project was too wild of a sell.

Carnivore is the first script that the Wachowskis wrote, but if it was the first movie that they actually directed, it likely would have helped put them on the map earlier as genre filmmakers. It would have been akin to Peter Jackson's early films, and his evolution as a filmmaker. Carnivore makes for a crazier debut picture than Bound, even if the subject matter is juvenile. It might have been a huge misfire if the Wachowskis released Carnivore after The Matrix Trilogy. The smaller, weirder project might have even kept them from doing V For Vendetta in the end. However, had the Wachowskis found a way to make the movie between Matrix sequels, it could have been a fun deviation that shows off more of their range before jumping back into the dense science fiction realm of The Matrix.

At this point, the Wachowskis have tackled such diverse subject matter and seen both success and failure; now would probably be the best time to bring Carnivore to life. The Wachowskis are in a position to take a risk, and while they seem to have accepted the idea that the project won't happen, they still hold a real affection for the script. Perhaps the right circumstances to finally resurrect Carnivore are right around the corner.

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