*SPOILERS* Sense8 - Interviews, Reviews and Announcements

[Jan]

Thought it might be an idea to have this thread since there are bound to be a bunch of them coming up soon.

Let's try to warn about spoilers and mask links that have spoilers in the link.

Like this one.

Not a major spoiler since there was a tweet that talks about it in the big thread but still, let's get into the habit of being cautious.

ETA: Oh, wow...completely missed this!

Andy: Yes. Tune in. In May, you'll see.

But that's *ages* from now!!

Jan

[sense8linked.com]

Sense8 will be released in May

Andy Wachowski: Sense8 is arriving in May.

Andy: "Yes. Tune in. In May, you'll see."
----------------------------------------

io9 got a nice little exclusive Wachowskis interview about Sense8 handed to them to coincide with all the galactic press circus revolving around the Wachowskis space opera, Jupiter Ascending. (That messy, hurtling asteroid belt of menacing JA reviews is so... twenty minutes ago).

Us, we are looking forward to the Wachowskis first foray into TV, along with TV veteran and graphic story medium super-power JMS.

But about this title: "The Wachowskis Say They Filmed A Live Birth For Their TV Show Sense8." Jan and I happen to know that a prosthetic vagina and fake blood was used for filming a "live birth" on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

"Andy: We have live births.

Lana: Live births even.

Andy: Babies coming out of vaginas."

Did the Wachowskis accidentally forget to mention the 'live" birth(s) were simulated?

[NOTE from Jana: I don't know if there are live births or not. There well may be a bunch of them, LOL. I just can't resist joking around about stuff.]

They refer to "births." If there will be actual "births" as opposed to a single "birth," could one or more of the other ones be real as opposed to simulated?? Birthing is a physically and existentially messy business. (It's like the mothership is decloaking off the starboard bow). I don't think the union is going to go with that. You'd have to go do it in Croatia, or on one of Jupiter's moons (sorry Croatia).

Of course the reporter/editor picked the "live birth" for the headline without verifying just what the heck they meant!! LOL.
______________________________________

The Wachowskis Say They Filmed A Live Birth For Their TV Show Sense8
Written by Meredith Woerner 2/2/2015 12:45pm >> via io9

Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski's globetrotting TV Netflix series Sense8 already sounded insanely ambitious. And the two Jupiter Ascending directors just cranked up the crazy even higher with promises of orgies and live births (not at the same time).

The Matrix trilogy creators have teamed up with Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to co-write and produce Sense8. The series setup itself is pretty intense. Now pile on their elaborate and extensive world-wide shoot and you've got a huge series that could really be something special. According to earlier reports, the series is centered around eight strangers all from various parts of the world. Each one experiences a tragic death that then links them all both mentally and emotionally. As they each begin their journey, they also become hunted by someone named Mr. Whispers. The character is part of a larger organization that wants to assassinate those that are connected in this manner. Each episode will center around one character and jump all across the planet.

_____________________________

The Wachowskis Say They Filmed A Live Birth For Their TV Show Sense8

While talking with the directors about their upcoming movie release Jupiter Ascending, we asked them both about Sense8, and leapin' lizards, does the scale of insanity of this series sound both crazy ambitious and super nutty. Take our money now, please.

What can you tell us about Sense8, and if it does well would you consider quitting movies and just making content for Netflix or Amazon?

Andy Wachowski: Well, it's really hard work, the TV gig, we're finding. The density of your work day it's manifold from what we're used to. Right now we're in the editing process. We finished the first four episodes and we're cutting them basically an episode a week. By the end of two weeks that's two hours. That's basically a feature film. And basically on a feature film you get ten weeks. That's DGA [union] minimum.

We shot the show all over the world. One of the ideas of the show was to juxtapose location and culture. Putting these 8 disparate lives up against one another so that you can feel the differences and the similarities between all of us. And in doing so, we ended up having 100,000 miles of flight time for all of last year. That's four times around the globe.

Yeah you guys really shot everywhere.

Andy: Yeah. We shot in San Francisco, Chicago, Mexico City, Reykjavik, London, Berlin, Nairobi, Seoul, Mumbai.

Lana Wachowski: But it's trying to get at the human question of how are we the same, and how are we different. Is there a universalness to the human condition or is it all culturally formed. Well that's sort of an intellectual idea, we began to actually experience it as we were going through the journey. I was really enlightening and beautiful.

Andy: Going from the Best Western Hotel in Nairobi to the Park Hyatt in Seoul was

Andy: Going from the Best Western Hotel in Nairobi to the Park Hyatt in Seoul was...

Lana: Coming from Reykjavik, like the whitest city in the world 250,000 white people who are practically related. And then going to Nairobi.

Andy: Where we're basically aliens landing there walking...

Lana: With my pink hair and I'm just freaking out.

Andy: So the culture shock was an amazing thing to experience. But it was also amazing to capture that. We think it's going to make the show very special. There's not anything like it on TV. There's not really anything like it in the movies as well. We're super excited about that.

I'm glad you think that's reflected in the footage; I'm excited to see that. Is it more supernatural or science fiction?

Lana: You gotta wait for it. It's everything.

Andy: It's science fiction but it's more about humanity. It's about everything.

Lana: We wanted to make a thing that's about everything. We told Netflix we were like, "We're only interested in doing this. It's going to be so hard, it's not very much money. We're only interested in it if we can do anything. And I mean anything. Like crazy psychic orgies with all sorts of different bodies." And they were like, "Yeah sure, cool great."

Andy: We have live births.

Lana: Live births even.

Andy: Babies coming out of vaginas.

What? No.

Andy: Yes. Tune in. In May, you'll see.
___________________________________
SOURCE: io9 is a daily publication that covers science, culture, and the world of tomorrow. "We come from the future." Not to hard to figure out how they might have got picked for a Wachowskis exclusive interview about "sense8."

NOTE: not sure of guideline about posting whole interviews here, or excerpts? I excerpt on Facebook, and on Twitter of course. This is my first forum. I did see the new forum for interviews. I'm guessing that's the place to post URLS and non-spoiler excerpts, and over here for spoilers stuff. ??

[sense8linked.com]

May release

Sometime in May.... lessee, February, March, April, May. Four months. Argh!

[sense8ional]

Just so there's no misunderstanding the

"live birth" is a fake one a la "The Children of Men". "Tonight I wore a prosthetic vagina, got in the back of a 1988 Chicago cop car on Lake Shore Drive, covered in blood, and birthed a baby to Joe Pantoliano while Lana and Andy Wachowski watched. #prostheticvagina" https://www.facebook.com/autumn.teag...54395083025034

[sense8linked.com]

Move over to spoiler thread?

[QUOTE=sense8ional;125094]Just so there's no misunderstanding the "live birth" is a fake one a la "The Children of Men".

That's her!! I deleted her tweet, and couldn't find it again. Thanks for that. I do have her on the "More cast" page at the unofficial website.

Actually, Jan and I are thinking that the

live births--emphasis on plural--might be real births that are captured on film as a part of the common trauma experienced by all eight. Perhaps they all had a traumatic birth, maybe their mothers died in childbirth, or something of that sort. So maybe there are live births (in addition to the "fake" one on LSD in Chicago), and the births might be a part of the trauma somehow. We know via JMS/Jan that all the Senseates are the same age.

If I understand the "rules" regarding spoilers on this particular thread, we really shouldn't reveal these sorts of spoilers (both in content and URLS) until it's out for 30 days(?) I'm still getting these things down.

Stuff with spoilers should probably live over on the spoiler thread.

[sense8ional]

Fixed my post.

Interestingly I can reveal that the whole process of the sensates being "activated" is called

a birthing and contains references to the procedure of a baby birth.

But maybe that's the wrong thread :P

[sense8linked.com]

Becoming a sensate

Fixed my post.

Interestingly I can reveal that the whole process of the sensates being "activated" is called

a birthing and contains references to the procedure of a baby birth.

But maybe that's the wrong thread :P

Oh that is an interesting bit of information about the theme. Soooo Wachowskis LOL.

[Jan]

Fixed my post.

Interestingly I can reveal that the whole process of the sensates being "activated" is called

a birthing and contains references to the procedure of a baby birth.

But maybe that's the wrong thread :P

Oh that is an interesting bit of information about the theme. Soooo Wachowskis LOL.

So this could be as much metaphor as actually happening, couldn't it?

Jan

[sense8linked.com]

SPOILERS based on a review of episode one Sense8 script

SPOILER ALERT: CENTRAL PLOT ELEMENT

I have been talking with Jean-Maxime Renault aka Lulla @LullaSerieWhore about his preview of the first episode of Sense8, which appears in the publication "Season Zero," and which is based upon his access to the script for episode one of Sense8.

He did verify for me that he had not encountered any births in episode one, whether "live" or "simulated," LOL.

The revelation here is regarding the source of the trauma that links the eight. That is based, of course, just on one report, so I think we need to wait for a confirmation before accepting this as fact.

Perhaps Sense8ional can verify? I know Daryl Hannah's character is called Angel, and she appears in the Chicago episode at the amazing Gary Indiana location (which is near Chicago).

Lulla only mentions JMS once, in the executive producer/directed credit at the beginning. We all know this happens just too damn often.

Lulla's review is thoughtful and credible. As we know, journalists are not immune to miscommunications and errors. He does add a caveat to things he is not absolutely sure of, which is good journalism.

NOTE: The publication "Season Zero" seems to specialize in reviews based upon pilots/initial episodes. The word "pilot" appears in this and many reviews. Technically, Sense8 has no pilot, as it was ordered sight unseen for ten episodes, rather than ordered as a pilot to be floated for network audiences, then passed on or ordered to series based on ratings. Netflix has no ratings (at least not yet).

___________________________

4 February 2015 "Sense 8" (Netflix) preview: is this the most ambitious & unique sci-fi show ever?
Lulla via Season Zero

"Episode One." Written, executive produced and directed by Lana & Andy Wachowski (Matrix, Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending) and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Jeremiah). Co-produced by Marc Rosen (Harry Potter). For Netflix, Georgeville Television & Studio JMS. 61 pages.

Description: Eight strangers from different parts of the world suddenly become mentally and emotionally linked to each others in the aftermath of the tragic death of an angel, through an evolutionary leap of technological origin. While trying to figure why this happened and what it means for the future of mankind, a mysterious and powerful man named Jonas will try to bring the eight together, while another stranger called Mr. Whispers and his organization will attempt to hunt them down to capture or assassinate them.

With Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe), Aml Ameen (Harry’s Law, The Maze Runner), Tuppence Middleton (Jupiter Ascending, The Imitation Game), Doona Bae (Cloud Atlas, The Host), Tina Desai (Indian Palace), Max Riemelt, Jamie Clayton, Miguel Angel Silvestre… and special appearances from Daryl Hannah (Splash), Naveen Andrews (Lost), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, The Carrie Diaries), Christian Oliver (Speed Racer)

ALL EPISODES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX THIS MAY

Just the other day, I was reading reviews about the new Wachowski movie Jupiter Ascending -spoiler alert: none of them were rave- and something striked me all along: critics don’t know how to handle their work anymore. I haven't seen it yet, and I may never, but it doesn’t seem groundbreaking. And groundbreaking is what we expect from them every time, because that's what they did with the Matrix saga, with V for Vendetta and even with Speed Racer to a lesser extent. They probably were too good too soon. And now we don’t see them for who they are but for who they were. They have a hard time surprising us again, finding new tricks, exploring new themes... but at the same time they still can move us deeply and marvel, the way few others do. These geniuses -'cos that’s who they are- have so many things moving at the speed of light in their brain that sometimes it's pretty hard for us to follow. And two hours of film are clearly just not enough to showcase all their ideas. Fortunately, their ambition is still intact. With Sense 8, their first TV series, they get the chance to prove it -Netflix is said to have given them all the freedom they asked for- and be groundbreaking again.

Whether you like their movies or not, The Wachowskis definitely know how to create a totally new and rich universe from scratch. With Sense 8, they do it again effortlessly, or so it seems. It's not that different from what they have done before in the sci-fi department but it’s more grounded, more Cloud Atlas than Matrix. That reminds me of the feeling I had at the end of Cloud Atlas: what a good TV show it could have been! All those stories very unconnected were like several series put together to make a movie. The absolutely hilarious storyline in the nursing home was like a British sitcom for example. It was at the opposite of the rest tonally. But somehow, all of this worked (for the most part). Here, they have 8 central characters scattered all around the globe, each one of them having their own story to tell, in their own environment and atmosphere, and of course their own personal conflict to resolve. Some are more featured in the pilot than others; some are interesting from the get go, others will have to prove worth our attention later in the season. But all are connected and all overlap with another through voices, music, settings, objects... and thanks to telephatic abilities. From what I understood, no character will meet during first season. And the Wachowskis already have a plan for 5 seasons, no more and no less. It’s a very ambitious concept and storytelling, like a (very) enhanced version of Heroes, but without superpowers (for now anyway). Groundbreaking it can be.

As I said before, Netflix gave them some sort of unlimited budget to let their imagination go wherever they want and make the best show possible out of it. [B]For the first time in history, they shot in 8 different locations, 8 cities (Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Seoul, Mexico City, Reykjakiv, Nairobi and Mumbai), more than Game Of Thrones; only that is impressive. San Francisco is prominently featured in the pilot, some scenes were shot during the Pride, the Dyke march and the Fresh Meat Festival of transgender and queer performance. The most fascinating and emotionally charged scenes come from the character of Nomi, previously known as Michael, that echoes the own story of Lana Wachowski, previously know as Larry. There's a beautiful speech at some point about identity, gender and acceptation[sic]. Those certainly are some of the main themes of the show, with persecution, bigotry and fear, among others. As always, the Wachowskis add a religious layer to it all that will have to prove relevant. For now, it’s very intriguing.

It's almost impossible to judge Sense 8 by its only pilot, since it works more as a long introduction to all of the characters than anything else, and it's almost impossible to tell where we are heading because of the uniqueness of the project. I fear the Wachowskis want to tell more stories at once than they can handle, even if they have more time to do so. But their ambition, their boldness and the amplitude of their imagination must be underlined and rewarded. If everything goes the way it should, Sense 8 may become the most fascinating and groundbreaking sci-fi show EVER. Pray of it.
by Lulla
______________________________________

Daryl Hannah as Angel at the Gary Indiana filming location for Sense8, photo by Sense8 camera crew member @j_surf.

[sense8ional]

There are no births in episode one, but like I said the activation of the cluster is called a birthing.

But yeah "the tragic event" is the death of someone who might or might not be an angel. Let's leave it at that.

Like I said before, the script has been circulating for a long while now eg among screenwriters. The buzz around it that I encountered was either "What? Surely this is just an early, super outdated draft because there's no way they are filming this." due to its controversial content (and oh yes, they are most definitely filming this) or "Yeah, just another LOST wannabe. When will networks learn they are not going to be making the next LOST." due to having an ensemble cast.

[sense8linked.com]

JMS & WACs synergy

"Yeah, just another LOST wannabe. When will networks learn they are not going to be making the next LOST." due to having an ensemble cast.

I still haven't entirely figured out what it is about the Wachowskis that they have become the favored recipient of vitriol from scores of people who need to have a hateful opinion about someone/something and spout it on the internet.

As you say, having an ensemble cast isn't something unique to Lost, lol.

Francis Ford Coppola, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, some would say Martin Scorcese for Gangs of New York (which I love), there's a long list of super creative directors who lost their minds on at least one project with full creative control. Sometimes a director benefits from sharing the creative control with a trustworthy producer or etc. who can temper and further their vision.

The more I learn about JMS, the more excited I am that he is collaborating on a highly creative project with two of my most favorite directors.

I'm especially interested in Sense8 because I think that JMS and the Wachowskis will balance each other out, while at the same time maintaining that necessary full creative control for such an ambitious and unique project. It's the best of both worlds, and bound to synergistically add up to more than the sum of its parts.

I am looking forward to finding out if this is the case.

[sense8linked.com]

Reuters: Netflix to enter Japan, include Sense8

REUTERS: Netflix to enter Japan in fall of 2015, will include the upcoming original TV drama #Sense8 reut.rs/1DzPWzL via @Reuters

Netflix Inc said it will launch its movie and TV streaming service in Japan in the fall of 2015.

Netflix will allow users to choose from a wide variety of Japanese TV shows and films, as well as its original series including "Marco Polo" and the upcoming science fiction drama "Sense8".

Full (short) news article here: reut.rs/1DzPWzL

[sense8linked.com]

Brian J. Smith "Yes we did"

Brian has confirmed filming live births via tweet:

Brian J. Smith @BrianJacobSmith
Yes, we did!

The Wachowskis Say They Filmed A Live Birth For Their TV Show Sense8
http://t.co/4oM6LMeUFA via @io9

[sense8ional]

Release date is May or June. Sense8 is the last series the Wachowskis "watched" that blew their minds

http://collider.com/wachowskis-jupit...ing-interview/

I just want to know what’s the last movie you saw that for both of you just blew your mind. Something that you want to recommend to people.

ANDY: Birdman.

LANA: Birdman.

And last TV show?

ANDY: Last TV show…

LANA: Sense8.

For people who don’t know about the show, can you give a log line? What do you want to tell people about it?

LANA: We can’t reduce it yet. We’re ready to reduce Jupiter.

Do you know when you might be done with it?

ANDY: It’s coming out in May, we’re done in April, so it’s out in May.

LANA: May or June, they don’t have a release date yet.

[sense8linked.com]

May or June release date

Release date is May or June. Sense8 is the last series the Wachowskis "watched" that blew their minds

http://collider.com/wachowskis-jupit...ing-interview/

Hmmmm... last interview, Andy said it was May. Tune in in May.

Now he's still saying May, and then Lana says "May or June." And all their publicity has been saying May, quoting Andy.

These two are newbies at working the press, or maybe it's just that they're trying something relatively new. They're trying to correct, turning over a new leaf and giving lots of interviews, be more chatty. Oh, BTW, we have orgies and live births, LOL.

I think they've yet to learn what things will be jumped on and turned into the headline, and choosing those things with some forethought. If you're going to work the press for $175 mil, you gotta suit up and get hot.

Release dates are not something to chat about. It's something that everyone will jump on as THE biggest news (well, maybe the biggest after references to live births and orgies).

Maybe the Wachowskis will have a learning curve with the press. I'm thinking more like learning to care if you shoot yourself in the foot a few times in each interview. Then again, maybe that will never be their style.

Gotta love 'em.