Danny Boyle is to direct a dance adaptation of The Matrix

Virgin Radio

2 Oct 2022, 09:19

Do you take your pills blue or red?

Because the world just isn't weird enough, it is being reported that Trainspotting director Danny Boyle is to helm a Matrix-themed dance production.

You don't need this saying, but just in case you've been cryogenically frozen for the last thirty years, 1999's The Matrix tells the story of computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) who discovers the life he is living is a simulation, and that the world has been enslaved by evil cyber-intelligence.

Directed by The Wachowskis, The Matrix was the fourth highest-grossing film of that year, hugely culturally significant from that point on, and inspired three feature film sequels.

The first, released in 2003, was The Matrix Reloaded (which earned $741m [£667m] at the box office), the second, The Matrix Revolutions (which earned $427m [£384m]) while a fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, was released last year ($157m [£141m]).

And it appears that demand for Matrix stories remains high, with the aforementioned Boyle now set to take on a dance adaptation of the sci-fi blockbuster. It's set to debut in October 2023 at Factory International, a brand new arts venue in Manchester.

Titled Free Your Mind, the £182 million Warner Bros. Theater Ventures-licensed project is described as a ‘large scale immersive performance’.

A statement about the new project reads, ‘Combining the hip-hop choreography of hundreds of dancers with the latest immersive design, Free Your Mind will take audiences on a thrilling journey through The Matrix and into a new realm of possibilities.'

‘This eye-opening production will stretch across the building’s ultra-flexible spaces, responding to them and harnessing the collective energy of the moment.’

Boyle has told The Guardian, "You know what it’s like, especially at the moment, you think “What the f**k is going on?” This is a project where we try to address that … through dance, really."

He continued, "That’s not giving too much away but it does reveal some of the ambition of it."

Free Your Mind organisers say that the show will showcase 'spectacular visual effects, a cast of professional dancers and hundreds of Manchester participants' to recreate scenes from the big screen, ‘provoking visions of an alternative future.’

The dance show’s music will be composed by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante. Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy will serve as choreographer.

And you know what? We are absolutely 100% here for it.