Matrix 4 crew members form a work group to demand financial aid from German studio Babelsberg
They were sent home due to the pandemic, before the start of production.
Several hundred crew members from shut down productions in the German studio Babelsberg have formed a workgroup and are now demanding an agreement that would allow them to receive financial aid. Independent crew members hired to work on The Matrix 4 and Sony's Uncharted were still in the pre-production phase when everything was stopped due to the pandemic outbreak.
The group, who named themselves Wir Sing Babelsberg- We are Babelsberg – has expressed hope for the help from the German government. Yet, according to Variety report from Monday, this seems unlikely, since the productions haven't fulfilled necessary requirements. Neither of the films has applied for federal or regional grants or even started shooting before the shutdown. They have only applied for the 25% tax rebate offered by the national government.
As a response to the demands, studio's CEO Charlie Woebcken released a statement, saying: “We are in constant discussions with the affected film crew members and our longstanding U.S. partners and are making every effort to find solutions,” the CEO said, appealing “to all involved to master this difficult situation constructively and not polemically.”
Co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, but with no participation from Lilly Wachowski, Matrix 4 was announced after much speculation in August 2019. Featuring former cast members, the WB project will be joined by Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra, and others. The film was scheduled for a May 2021 release.
