The Wachowskis
Lilly (left) and Lana Wachowski at the Fantastic Fest screening of Cloud Atlas in September 2012
Known for:
Lana Wachowski
Born Laurence Wachowski
June 21, 1965 (age 52)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Other names Larry Wachowski (before 2010)
Occupation Film and TV director, screenwriter, and producer, comic book writer and publisher
Years active1994–present
Spouse(s)
Lilly Wachowski
Born Andrew Paul Wachowski
December 29, 1967 (age 49)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Other namesAndy Wachowski (before 2016)
OccupationFilm and TV director, screenwriter, and producer, comic book writer and publisher
Years active1994–present
Spouse(s)Alisa Blasingame (m. 1991)
Lana Wachowski (formerly Laurence "Larry" Wachowski, born June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (formerly Andrew Paul "Andy" Wachowski, born December 29, 1967) are American film directors, screenwriters, and producers. They are siblings, and are both trans women.Collectively known as The Wachowskis and formerly as The Wachowski Brothers, the pair made their directing debut in 1996 with Bound, and reached fame with their second film The Matrix (1999), a major box office success for which they won the Saturn Award for Best Director. They wrote and directed its two sequels: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both in 2003), and were deeply involved in the writing and production of other works in the franchise.
Following the commercial success of The Matrix series, they wrote and produced the 2006 film V for Vendetta (an adaptation of the comic of the same name by Alan Moore), and in 2008 released the film Speed Racer, which was a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series of the same name. Their next film, Cloud Atlas, based on the novel of the same name by David Mitchell and co-written and co-directed by Tom Tykwer, was released in 2012. Their film Jupiter Ascending and the Netflix series Sense8 both debuted in 2015, with Sense8 cancelled after two seasons.
The siblings have worked as a writing and directing unit throughout their professional film careers from Bound through the first season of Sense8. Following her gender transition, Lilly Wachowski took a break from active writing and directing; Lana worked on the second season of Sense8 without her.
Early life
Lana was born Laurence Wachowski in Chicago in 1965; Lilly was born Andrew Paul Wachowski two and a half years later, in 1967. Their mother Lynne (née Luckinbill) was a nurse and painter. Their father Ron Wachowski was a businessman of Polish descent. Their uncle is the actor and Primetime Emmy Award-winning producer Laurence Luckinbill. They have two additional sisters: Julie and Laura. Julie was credited as assistant coordinator in the Wachowskis' film Bound;[16]she is a novelist and screenwriter.
Lana and Lilly attended Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago's Beverly area, and they graduated from Whitney Young High School, known for its performing arts and science curriculum, in 1983 and 1985 respectively, in both cases under their birth names.Former classmates recall them playing Dungeons & Dragons and working in the school’s theater and TV program.
Lana went to Bard College in New York and Lilly attended Emerson College in Boston. Both dropped out before graduating.
Career
After dropping out of college, the Wachowskis ran a house painting and construction business in Chicago while writing for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint, namely Ectokid (created by horror novelist Clive Barker) in 1993. They also wrote the series Clive Barker's Hellraiser and Clive Barker's Nightbreed for Epic Comics.
Film
In the mid-1990s they branched out into film writing, including the script for Assassins in 1994, which was directed by Richard Donner and released in 1995. Warner Bros. bought the script and included two more pictures in the contract.Donner had their script "totally rewritten" by Brian Helgeland and theWachowskis tried unsuccessfully to remove their names from the film. They say the experience gave them the perspective that they should become directors or "[they will] never survive as writers in this town."
Their next project was the 1996 neo-noir thriller Bound, for which they wrote the script and made their debut as directors. The film was well received for its style and craft, and was noted as one of the first mainstream films to feature a gay relationship without it being central to the plot.[23] Taking advantage of the positive buzz, the Wachowskis asked to direct their next picture, The Matrix.
Lilly (left) and Lana Wachowski at the Fantastic Fest screening of Cloud Atlas in September 2012
Known for:
Lana Wachowski
Born Laurence Wachowski
June 21, 1965 (age 52)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Other names Larry Wachowski (before 2010)
Occupation Film and TV director, screenwriter, and producer, comic book writer and publisher
Years active1994–present
Spouse(s)
- Thea Bloom (m. 1993; div. 2002)
- Karin Winslow (m. 2009)
Lilly Wachowski
Born Andrew Paul Wachowski
December 29, 1967 (age 49)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Other namesAndy Wachowski (before 2016)
OccupationFilm and TV director, screenwriter, and producer, comic book writer and publisher
Years active1994–present
Spouse(s)Alisa Blasingame (m. 1991)
Lana Wachowski (formerly Laurence "Larry" Wachowski, born June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (formerly Andrew Paul "Andy" Wachowski, born December 29, 1967) are American film directors, screenwriters, and producers. They are siblings, and are both trans women.Collectively known as The Wachowskis and formerly as The Wachowski Brothers, the pair made their directing debut in 1996 with Bound, and reached fame with their second film The Matrix (1999), a major box office success for which they won the Saturn Award for Best Director. They wrote and directed its two sequels: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both in 2003), and were deeply involved in the writing and production of other works in the franchise.
Following the commercial success of The Matrix series, they wrote and produced the 2006 film V for Vendetta (an adaptation of the comic of the same name by Alan Moore), and in 2008 released the film Speed Racer, which was a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series of the same name. Their next film, Cloud Atlas, based on the novel of the same name by David Mitchell and co-written and co-directed by Tom Tykwer, was released in 2012. Their film Jupiter Ascending and the Netflix series Sense8 both debuted in 2015, with Sense8 cancelled after two seasons.
The siblings have worked as a writing and directing unit throughout their professional film careers from Bound through the first season of Sense8. Following her gender transition, Lilly Wachowski took a break from active writing and directing; Lana worked on the second season of Sense8 without her.
Early life
Lana was born Laurence Wachowski in Chicago in 1965; Lilly was born Andrew Paul Wachowski two and a half years later, in 1967. Their mother Lynne (née Luckinbill) was a nurse and painter. Their father Ron Wachowski was a businessman of Polish descent. Their uncle is the actor and Primetime Emmy Award-winning producer Laurence Luckinbill. They have two additional sisters: Julie and Laura. Julie was credited as assistant coordinator in the Wachowskis' film Bound;[16]she is a novelist and screenwriter.
Lana and Lilly attended Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago's Beverly area, and they graduated from Whitney Young High School, known for its performing arts and science curriculum, in 1983 and 1985 respectively, in both cases under their birth names.Former classmates recall them playing Dungeons & Dragons and working in the school’s theater and TV program.
Lana went to Bard College in New York and Lilly attended Emerson College in Boston. Both dropped out before graduating.
Career
After dropping out of college, the Wachowskis ran a house painting and construction business in Chicago while writing for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint, namely Ectokid (created by horror novelist Clive Barker) in 1993. They also wrote the series Clive Barker's Hellraiser and Clive Barker's Nightbreed for Epic Comics.
Film
In the mid-1990s they branched out into film writing, including the script for Assassins in 1994, which was directed by Richard Donner and released in 1995. Warner Bros. bought the script and included two more pictures in the contract.Donner had their script "totally rewritten" by Brian Helgeland and theWachowskis tried unsuccessfully to remove their names from the film. They say the experience gave them the perspective that they should become directors or "[they will] never survive as writers in this town."
Their next project was the 1996 neo-noir thriller Bound, for which they wrote the script and made their debut as directors. The film was well received for its style and craft, and was noted as one of the first mainstream films to feature a gay relationship without it being central to the plot.[23] Taking advantage of the positive buzz, the Wachowskis asked to direct their next picture, The Matrix.