Carnivore: The Low-Budget Horror Movie The Wachowskis Never Made – Screen Rant

The Wachowskis have become some of the most prolific filmmakers in the science fiction genre, but their first script was a wild cannibal horror film.

The Wachowskis are some of the most ambitious filmmakers working today, but their unproduced script for Carnivore highlights a compelling interest in campy B-horror that the directors havent been able to indulge yet.

The Wachowskis dont always make perfect films, but theyre individuals who create massive original worlds in a way thats become a lost art. The two are directors that love to challenge themselves and the medium of film. The heights that they hit in movies like The Matrix andSpeed Racer are still benchmarks of the genre, and pure spectacle.

Related: The Matrix 4: Why Only One Wachowski Sibling Is Directing

The Matrix Trilogy opened so many doors for the Wachowskis and even when their movies receive a mixed reception they still manage to be visual masterpieces that are distinctly unique. The Wachowskis are currently most famous for their transformative work in science fiction, but the first script that they ever wrote was actually a low-budget horror film in the style of Roger Cormans pictures. Carnivore is an absurd tale about millionaires who become fodder for cannibals, and marks a very different side of the Wachowskis sensibilities as filmmakers.

The Wachowskis were incredibly passionate about Carnivore, but right from the start, they were aware that selling it would be an uphill task. Executives frequently attacked the anti-capitalist message, and cited the film as too weird. However, unsurprisingly the release of The Matrix in 1999 reinvigorated interest in the project from Trimark. Despite Trimark bringing George Romero onto the project, the film still stalled in development and both Trimark and Romero eventually exited. The Wachowskis continued to try to make progress on the movie as late as 2003 when their frequent cinematographer Bill Pope would have made Carnivore his directorial debut. Even then, the project was too wild of a sell.

Carnivore is the first script that the Wachowskis wrote, but if it was the first movie that they actually directed, it likely would have helped put them on the map earlier as genre filmmakers. It would have been akin to Peter Jackson's early films, and his evolution as a filmmaker. Carnivore makes for a crazier debut picture than Bound, even if the subject matter is juvenile. It might have been a huge misfire if the Wachowskis released Carnivore after The Matrix Trilogy. The smaller, weirder project might have even kept them from doing V For Vendetta in the end. However, had the Wachowskis found a way to make the movie between Matrix sequels, it could have been a fun deviation that shows off more of their range before jumping back into the dense science fiction realm of The Matrix.

At this point, the Wachowskis have tackled such diverse subject matter and seen both success and failure; now would probably be the best time to bring Carnivore to life. The Wachowskis are in a position to take a risk, and while they seem to have accepted the idea that the project won't happen, they still hold a real affection for the script. Perhaps the right circumstances to finally resurrect Carnivore are right around the corner.

Next: Man Of Steel: What If The Wachowski's Had Directed The First DCEU Movie

DC Convention With DCEU Movie Announcements Coming In August 2020

Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniels work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. He recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, "Sylvia Plaths The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales" and hes currently toiling away on his first novel.Daniel knows that "Psycho II" is better than the original, that the finale of "How I Met Your Mother" doesnt deserve the hate that it receives, and that Garth Ennis run of "Animal Man" may be the best superhero story of all time. Hes a fan of white grape juice and appreciates a good Fuji apple.The owls are not what they seem.

Link:
Carnivore: The Low-Budget Horror Movie The Wachowskis Never Made - Screen Rant