The Guardian reports that English director/producer Danny Boyle (the guy who made Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, and Steve Jobs, among others) is currently working on a theatrical dance performance adaptation of The Matrix films called Free Your Mind. The interactive show will premiere as the inaugural production at the Factory International, a new £186M venue in Manchester, England.
A bit more on the venue, and the show, from The Guardian:
Designed by Ellen van Loon, a partner at Rem Koolhaas's Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) practice, the Factory, which from one angle resembles a spaceship, has been built on the site of the former Granada television studios.
It will have an industrial warehouse vibe to it, with super-sized movable walls allowing for different configurations, and everything from intimate performances to events on a grander, more eye-popping scale.
The Boyle production will, they predict, be at the blockbuster end of things. It will feature "spectacular visual effects, a cast of professional dancers and hundreds of Manchester participants" coming together to recreate scenes from the Matrix films "provoking visions of an alternative future".
At first glance, this seems like a strange turn for Boyle, until you remember that he also has experience with things like directing the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony in London. Of course, that also personally makes me less interested in the show, which will likely demand obscenely high ticket prices which in turn leads me to suspect it will focus more on the aesthetic spectacle of The Matrix and less on the thoughtful parts. But I guess we'll find out next summer!
Danny Boyle Matrix 'spectacular' to open Manchester's Factory [Mark Brown / The Guardian]
