PAUL CHADWICK v2.0 - CHADWICK TALKS THE MATRIX ONLINE

[MattBrady]

Paul Chadwick’s most familiar project coming up for comics fans is most likely December’s Concrete: The Human Dilemma miniseries coming from Dark Horse that reunites the creator with his best known creation. That’s not to say it’s Chadwick’s only project coming out this winter. The creator is also writing the story for The Matrix Online, the massively multiplayer online role playing game due to launch in January.

For Chadwick, working with The Matrix again was a return of sorts – he was one of the first comic creators Andy and Larry Wachowski approached to create a comic story based on The Matrix, back before the first movie was even made.

“Back then, I was just working from the screenplay, and I’ll admit it – I didn’t understand the whole idea completely,” Chadwick said. “I wasn’t alone – as the story goes, the studio didn’t understand the script either, but when they saw the storyboards, they realized they had something different and exciting on their hands.

“That was in 1999, and it was because of Geof Darrow, who designed a lot of the hardware in the films. The idea, from the very beginning, was to do a trilogy of movies, and also to keep the fans fed between movies with comics on the website. That first story I did by the way, is about to be reprinted in the second Matrix collection. I just finished the colors two weeks ago.”

In total, Chadwick wrote and illustrated three Matrix stories for the website. “At some point, Larry and Andy decided that I understood the concepts and was simpatico with their views, and would be useful on this massively multiplayer game,” Chadwick said. “They didn’t have a complete outline ready, but they did have a very specific idea of what they thought players would want to do, and what a post-Matrix Revolutions truce would look like. So we had a long meeting, and I wrote a memo based on our discussions. They made a few changes, and I started writing from there.

“I came into the game a couple of years into its development. They already knew it would be set in a post-Revolutions world; and that the game would take place only in the Matrix, and not in Zion or the machine world. But my job has been to outline the week-by-week story that’s fed to the players. To that end, I’ve written an outline of the first year, what happens every week, and how players learn new things. That of course, has been parsed line by line by the Wachowskis. What I want to stress is that this is a sequel to Matrix Revolutions. This is Matrix gospel. If there are future films, they will acknowledge the events that take place in the game.”

In regards to playing the story, players will join the world as Redpills, that is, recently awoken individuals who jack into the Matrix via a hovercraft in the “real” world. From there, you enter a plot woven by Chadwick.

“There are mystery stories, there are feuds between factions, there are murders that need retribution, and there are people who want to wreck the whole system. The Wachowskis have said that the theme for the first year will be the peace, and the things people do to wreck it – to which I would add there’s a good amount about the things artificial intelligences do to wreck the peace as well. AI’s, or ‘Exiles’ as they’re called in the Matrix - programs like the Merovingian, have their own agendas. So the people and the machines are not the only ones in there.

“There are different organizations, and the way you gain skills and powers is by going on missions – there’s the Merovingian, there’s the Zion military, there’s the machine civilization, or the agents, and then, as time goes on, breakaway factions will form from those main groups. It will get very complicated and messy. It’s not just good guys and bad guys – there are a lot of interacting players.

“But it all does lead to a major, global, Matrix-threatening crisis at the end of the first year that will take about all the factions working together to save the whole world – or worlds – from Zion to the Matrix, to the machine world.”

In regards to telling the story, every few weeks, a new Chadwick-scripted cinematic will be uploaded, which will advance the larger plot of the world’s story, bringing all players up to speed on the lives of characters such as Niobe, Morpheus, and the Oracle.

“The films that suggest courses of action that you might take – you might want to join an organization, or solve a murder mystery, or any number of other venues,” Chadwick said. “The films will always be proposing storylines and directions. They’ll always be available after that, so anyone can catch up quickly, no matter when they come in. There will also be a straight written synopsis too.

“The story will also advance in real time, as you go on missions – you might find a tape recording as part of your mission, or learn some of the backstory from the characters in the film, and learn why they did some of the things they did in the movies. And there are plenty of people just walking around as well – we’ll have employees walking around within the game, passing along rumors, and we’ll also have non-playing characters as well – they’ll be there to spread rumors, or explain things they saw that were mysterious, as well as provide some misdirection.

“In regards to gaining information, there’s also the Newspaper – The Sentinel. The catch is it’s written by the so-called Bluepills, who aren’t savvy that the Matrix is all an illusion, and tend to rationalize the events that are going on in the stories as conventional occurrences, not a clash between the Redpills and the Exiles, or whatever factions may be fighting at the time. But, as a Redpill, you’ll be able to read between the lines of what the Bluepills are reporting”

To date, Chadwick has only worked in linear storytelling, where he, as the creator, controlled the pace, as well as the rate at which and method information is relayed to the audience. As Chadwick sees The Matrix Online, it’s more like 4-dimensional writing, as players can follow the meta-story by a variety of methods, and can learn it at their own pace.

In short, “It’s very headache producing,” Chadwick chuckled. “The difficulty in writing this was that you really had to access both sides of your brain while you’re writing it. You’ve got the very logical, timed-out doling out of information, as well as the very creative side of things, and there are so many technical requirements in this kind of storytelling as well. It’s hard to get into that altered state of consciousness that you can get into when you’re just writing prose.

“It’s something that I think Alan Moore would be fantastic at, if he ever wanted to give it a try. He seems to have a good grasp of structuring things in time and space without letting the seams show.”

As Chadwick explained, the game’s storyline is currently structured out in a weekly manner for one year, that is, roughly 52 episodes. So far, the writer said he’s only touched a couple of hot wires in his plans in regards to future exploration of the world by the Wachowskis themselves. “I’ve only gotten a couple of notes back from them that read, ‘DON’T KILL THIS CHARACTER,’ but they haven’t told me what they want to do with that character. I have no idea if there will be any more Matrix movies – they deflect my questions with jokes.

“So really, in regards to the story we’re telling, they just spoke in terms of a theme and a direction, and when I came back with an outline, they told me certain parts were really good, a couple of characters needed to be a seen a little more, other characters couldn’t be killed – things like that.

“But it’s pretty much plotted out just for the first year, and I’m sure I’ll have another long meeting with the Wachowskis after the game has been out for six months and we’ll see if we’re going in the right direction. I’m sure we’ll want to react to what the players wants to do and the directions they head into if they’re not heading where we thought they would.

“We’ve created this really cool thing that can change as the players progress through it – there’s a point in the story where the conventional Matrix city has portals to some much more surreal environments that we’re expecting people will adopt as places to hang out. If that doesn’t happen, that means something, and we’ll adjust things appropriately – we’ll figure out something to make it work.

“So there you go – thousands pf people populating this world that, I’d like to think could become all-consuming, because there’s so much to fascinate, challenge and engage. You could find it becoming more important than your real life.

“Rather like The Matrix.”

[Supreme Convoy]

As much as I was disappointed with Matrix Revolutions (I really got caught up in the hype), I can't help but like the Matrix concept and I think this is a neat way to show the epilogue of the trilogy.

[FIG]

Well I liked the the trilogy despite what everyone who got let down says. I saw them as nothing more than intelligently written action movies while others began reading things into the first movie and expected the same if not more for the sequels. If you knew anything, you'd know the sequels were made by the Wachowskis at the urging of Warner Brothers due to the first movies strong sales and fan response. I'm really interested in this game and will probably give it a try once it comes out but the fact that the first year has already been spoiled in this article is pretty lame.

Paul Chadwick-".....But it all does lead to a major, global, Matrix-threatening crisis at the end of the first year that will take about all the factions working together to save the whole world – or worlds – from Zion to the Matrix, to the machine world........”

Still though, I'm going to give the MMOG a try come January and try to get in on the beta so that I can see if I want to buy it at all.

[Jimmy Palmiotti]

Really, if paul does it, I am there. One of the most talented men in the business...a super nice guy who understands storytelling and really, concrete has been away for wayyyy too long.

[Zadillo]

Hrmm............ I have to admit, I had almost zero interest in this Matrix Online game, but hearing that Paul Chadwick is doing the stories for it is enough to make me at least be willing to consider it.

-Zadillo

[Leviathan]

let the matrix die already! its over. it should have been over with the first one. let go. there will be more trippy science fiction films in the future!

[Biggest Nimrod]

For all the anti-Matrix sentiment, I say:
They're not your movies.
They're the Watchowski's.
You may not enjoy them, but that doesn't make them bad movies.
Everything in those movies exists and happens the way it happens for a reason, and connects together seemlessly, so they aren't just some shoddy product pumped out to make a buck off the first film. They're movies for people who love movies. So if you don't want to take the time to figure out what it all means for yourself, then don't bitch about 'em.

As for this game, fuck, I wish I had all the time in the world to waste on an online game. This seriously sounds cool, but I've just seen too many lives plunged into despair under the treachery of things like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI.

[slapshot]

I loved all three Matrix films, the trilogy as a whole likely being my favorite movie ever. It didn't spoon-feed itself to you, and based on comments here and elsewhere, you pretty much got out of it what you put into it. I expected a lot from Matrix Revolutions, and to me, it delivered; a year later, I'm still finding new things in the movie, still debating the ending. I am, however, not a gamer at all. I only yesterday got a copy of Enter the Matrix but still haven't loaded it on my 'puter. But this.... man, I may have to buy, subscribe and play. Paul Chadwick is a great writer, and the promise of weekly Matrix mini-movies is just about too good to pass up. Ka-ching!

(If you're interested in all things Matrix, the best site out there is matrixfans.net. The message boards alone could easily occupy you for weeks...)

[The Mirrorball Man]

Originally posted by Biggest Nimrod
Everything in those movies exists and happens the way it happens for a reason, and connects together seemlessly, so they aren't just some shoddy product pumped out to make a buck off the first film. They're movies for people who love movies. So if you don't want to take the time to figure out what it all means for yourself, then don't bitch about 'em.

Well, you may enjoy them, but that doesn't make them good movies.

Of course everything in these movies happens for a reason, of course it's not completely random, of course there's a purpose: that's the least we can expect from any film maker. Having an artistic purpose, however, is not enough to make a good movie.

No matter how thought-provoking these movies might be, no matter how hard you have to think about them to figure out what they mean, all that is meaningless if the characters are lifeless, if the dialogue is pompous and puerile, and if the film makers would rather focus on vacuous first-grade philosophy than on building dramatic tension.

[Biggest Nimrod]

Originally posted by The Mirrorball Man
Well, you may enjoy them, but that doesn't make them good movies.

I didn't actually go off on anything about enjoying them, I was simply defending their vision, but in doing so, I guess it's not too hard to see that I do enjoy 'em.

Originally posted by The Mirrorball Man
Of course everything in these movies happens for a reason, of course it's not completely random, of course there's a purpose: that's the least we can expect from any film maker. [/b]

Actually there are quite A LOT of filmmakers that I DON'T expect this from, and as a student studying film, I find it quite fresh to see filmmakers show such clarity of such a large, complex, artistic vision. Understand I'm not discrediting other filmmakers, and I'm not saying there aren't a thousand better ones than the Watchowskis, just that they know what they're doing.

Originally posted by The Mirrorball Man
.....characters are lifeless, if the dialogue is pompous and puerile, and if the film makers would rather focus on vacuous first-grade philosophy than on building dramatic tension.

That is, of course, YOUR opinion, so I won't futily argue to the converted, but it is YOUR opinion, and mine may be different. Of course, film is open to about as much interpretation as any other form of art, if not more, because it combines so many forms (visual, audio, etc.), so don't worry man, I don't got no beef with ya.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Originally posted by Biggest Nimrod
That is, of course, YOUR opinion, so I won't futily argue to the converted, but it is YOUR opinion, and mine may be different.

I'm not sure that I understand what you're saying here. We all have different opinions? Well yes, that's pretty much the point of a debate, right? We all have our opinion, and we talk about them. Who knows? I might even change my mind.

[steveupson]

Looks great, can't wait.

And put me down for a Matrix=Good vote.

[Leviathan]

Originally posted by Biggest Nimrod
For all the anti-Matrix sentiment, I say:
They're not your movies.
They're the Watchowski's.
You may not enjoy them, but that doesn't make them bad movies.
Everything in those movies exists and happens the way it happens for a reason, and connects together seemlessly, so they aren't just some shoddy product pumped out to make a buck off the first film. They're movies for people who love movies. So if you don't want to take the time to figure out what it all means for yourself, then don't bitch about 'em.

As for this game, fuck, I wish I had all the time in the world to waste on an online game. This seriously sounds cool, but I've just seen too many lives plunged into despair under the treachery of things like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI.

dude, they were made so that the wachowski(sp?) brothers could get suck every last dime from the teet of the matrix. all they did was take all of the subtle little things from the first one and hit you over the head with it.

NEO IS JESUS!

bonk!

NEO IS JESUS!

bonk!

SEE, THERE HE IS, ALL LAID OUT LIKE JESUS ON THE CROSS!

bonk!

WE HAD ONE DECENT IDEA AND ARE MILKING IT FOR ALL ITS WORTH!

bonk!

[MattBrady]

I thought Neo was Buddha, forced into enlightenment in a hostile environment.

I thought the films blended several religions and philosophies together, but for me, the Buddhism came through the strongest, with Hindu placing a close second, and Christianity third, along with the rest.

Guess I was wrong....

...or there's more than one interpretation of the films.

MattB

[Leviathan]

Originally posted by MattBrady
I thought Neo was Buddha, forced into enlightenment in a hostile environment.

I thought the films blended several religions and philosophies together, but for me, the Buddhism came through the strongest, with Hindu placing a close second, and Christianity third, along with the rest.

Guess I was wrong....

...or there's more than one interpretation of the films.

MattB

no you were just wrong.






















kidding

[Biggest Nimrod]

Originally posted by Leviathan
dude, they were made so that the wachowski(sp?) brothers could get suck every last dime from the teet of the matrix. all they did was take all of the subtle little things from the first one and hit you over the head with it.

Oh,
I see,
you should know,
since I saw your name under "Executive Producer" during the end credits.
You might as well say that the only reason they finished the last 2 Lord of the Rings movies is because the first one was successful. Now I'm not going to debate whether the first movie could have been left as a stand alone film, because it easily could have, anyone can see that, but the Watchowkis were talking about their larger vision of this whole thing before the first one was even out. And obviously, they don't give a shit if you have payed attention or not, as they give relatively no interviews.
Also, those things in the first one weren't much more subtle than they were in the last two, if you actually cared and payed attention. Of course if you tried to understand them, instead of just bitching about 'em after seeing the movies once, maybe you'd know that Neo is way more than just Jesus. This story is formed from Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Gnosticism.
Anybody who cares,
(note to: MattBrady, you're actually right, bro)
to know about the complex interweaving of the religious symbolism should visit:
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.co...il_wakeup.html
But hey, anyone can just make up shit about something they don't like, right?
At least "The Mirrorball Man", above had some intelligent and relevant comments about acting and directorial skills.
It's remarks like yours: "YOU'RE WRONG! BONK!" that is gonna turn this site's boards into the AICN of comic sites (no beef with AICN, it's one of my favorite websites, it's just that their talkbacks are worthless).

[RandomGuest]

The religious symbolism wasn't exactly hidden in the first movie, but at least it wasn't thrust right into your face like in Revela^Hutions.

And not that I want to get involved in this particular flame war in waiting, as Nimrod has a decent grasp of what he's talking about and I'm not gonna care enough to post again, but just because something has artistic vision doesn't mean it isn't complete and utter shit. Mulholland Drive, anyone?

Moving back to philosophy, in the first movie Neo made a pretty lousy Jesus. I mean sure, savior of the people and all, but he got the death, ressurection, return thing in the wrong order. And regarding his death... to be a proper analog to Christ, he'd have to be dead for a lot longer than three minutes. Long enough to be abandoned by his own so he could make a glorious return that was actually unexpected.

Like Smith.

[Biggest Nimrod]

Originally posted by RandomGuest
Blatent Theology

Great comments, "Random Guest", and I see where you're coming from, although I don't expect everything to be perfect, what you're saying does ring true.
And I'm really not trying to start a fight here with anybody, quite the opposite, actually. I think we can all talk about this intelligently and objectively at the same time.

Oh, and welcome to the message boards, bro.

[Leviathan]

Originally posted by Biggest Nimrod
Oh,
I see,
you should know,
since I saw your name under "Executive Producer" during the end credits.
You might as well say that the only reason they finished the last 2 Lord of the Rings movies is because the first one was successful. Now I'm not going to debate whether the first movie could have been left as a stand alone film, because it easily could have, anyone can see that, but the Watchowkis were talking about their larger vision of this whole thing before the first one was even out. And obviously, they don't give a shit if you have payed attention or not, as they give relatively no interviews.
Also, those things in the first one weren't much more subtle than they were in the last two, if you actually cared and payed attention. Of course if you tried to understand them, instead of just bitching about 'em after seeing the movies once, maybe you'd know that Neo is way more than just Jesus. This story is formed from Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Gnosticism.
Anybody who cares,
(note to: MattBrady, you're actually right, bro)
to know about the complex interweaving of the religious symbolism should visit:
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.co...il_wakeup.html
But hey, anyone can just make up shit about something they don't like, right?
At least "The Mirrorball Man", above had some intelligent and relevant comments about acting and directorial skills.
It's remarks like yours: "YOU'RE WRONG! BONK!" that is gonna turn this site's boards into the AICN of comic sites (no beef with AICN, it's one of my favorite websites, it's just that their talkbacks are worthless).

why can't we just debate the movie? everyone has to end up making personal stabs.

[Biggest Nimrod]

Originally posted by Leviathan
why can't we just debate the movie? everyone has to end up making personal stabs.

LOL
Bwahahaha....
Debate?
Personal Stabs?
Like you didn't start some shit.
ANYWAY, I'll concede to being a bit harsh.
No hard feelings, bro.
And you're right about debating.
...and this message board has really been kind of a waste of time/an old debate.

[Leviathan]

Originally posted by Biggest Nimrod
LOL
Bwahahaha....
Debate?
Personal Stabs?
Like you didn't start some shit.
ANYWAY, I'll concede to being a bit harsh.
No hard feelings, bro.
And you're right about debating.
...and this message board has really been kind of a waste of time/an old debate.

cool, we agree to disagree. sorry if i started shit, i didn't mean to

[Biggest Nimrod]

Originally posted by Leviathan
cool, we agree to disagree. sorry if i started shit, i did'nt mean to

Yeah, funny, how these boards get crazy some times, eh?
I gotta resist the temptation to get caught up in that shit.

[Koolaid]

I'm sorry but in my opinion the Matrix was a disappointment. It should have ended after the first one.

The first one, was one of the better movies of the last twenty years, in my opinion.

It was ground breaking, innovative, thought provoking and just plain fun. I really felt like I got my moneys worth and more with the first film.

I think the first one set the bar way, way too high for the last two. The whole story line just seemed to crash and burn. I dragged my girlfriend in there to watch both of them, and left both times with egg on my face, especially after the final one.

The last two made me realize exaclty what the Matrix was/is. Just another science fiction movie.

The Warchowski's simply scrambled a bunch of religions/philosophies together with some cool special effects.

Thats it, thats the matrix.

Thats the jist of it.

They could have at least had the decency to end it properly. They left the door open to make more money.

The Warchowski's are'nt some revolutionary artist/thinkers/philosophers/visionaries. They're just a couple of guys trying to make a buck. Evidenced by their decision to end the movie the way they did.

The Lord of the Rings beats the Matrix hand down in almost every category. Rings got better with every release. its characters were more likabale, the story made sense, the movies had a flow to them and most importantly the trilogy never pretended to be more than it was.

As interesting as the game sounds, I think I'll skip it. I think it'll just be more of the same.

Its cool though how events in the game will effect the storyline in "possible" future movie. Judging by reaction to the last film though, I doubt the W brothers will be able to make another batch.

People are'nt easily duped twice.

I know I won't watch them.

As Grandpa Koolaid used to say to Grand Ma Koolaid, "fool you once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me".

[Cerebud]

I know, we've got another Concrete coming, but I really with Paul wouldn't waste his time with the plot to a video game. I've played several MMOs, and the plot lines are normally pretty lame and often ignored. I've heard it time and again that THIS TIME, the plots will be interesting and will involve you in the game, but they never work out. Once you're in the game, you're no longer in a narrative story, and you can't have everyone be the main character to the plot. Even one as well done as Chadwick's no doubt will be.

Plots in MMOs just don't work well.

[Zadillo]

Originally posted by Cerebud
I know, we've got another Concrete coming, but I really with Paul wouldn't waste his time with the plot to a video game. I've played several MMOs, and the plot lines are normally pretty lame and often ignored. I've heard it time and again that THIS TIME, the plots will be interesting and will involve you in the game, but they never work out. Once you're in the game, you're no longer in a narrative story, and you can't have everyone be the main character to the plot. Even one as well done as Chadwick's no doubt will be.

Plots in MMOs just don't work well.

I'd really reserve judgement......... I think the reason the plots in these types of games are normally so lame is because the people doing them haven't really put much attention in them. Just by hiring Paul Chadwick it already shows a commitment to do something different (and it's clear from reading Chadwick's Matrix comics online that he can tell some good stories here) than what is normally expected.

Seriously, just having Paul Chadwick at the helm automatically makes this different and therefore impossible to compare to other games.

-Zadillo