Lana Wachowski joked in the same Buzzfeed interview that producers were so confused by the premise of The Matrix that nobody understood why the heroes couldn't just blow the Matrix up "like the Death Star." Obviously, it was going to take more than words on the page to illustrate the Wachowskis' shared vision, so they sensibly turned to a pair of dynamic illustrators—Steve Skroce (who had worked for Marvel on Amazing Spider-Man and Gambit, among others) and Geof Darrow (best known for his work on the Frank Miller series Hard Boiled). Working in close conjunction with the Wachowskis and several additional artists over three months, the duo created storyboards and concept art that finally, decisively sold Warner Bros. on the project.
Skroce handled the storyboards, illustrating scenes in a dramatic, noir-like style with a heightened sense of motion and impact—over 600 individual illustrations were created. Darrow handled concept art and, for the first time, executives were able to visualize how this crazy script would translate to the screen.
It was enough for Warner Bros. to greenlight a $60 million budget for The Matrix, and it's easy to see why. Many of Skroce's bold illustrations are stunningly similar to shots in the finished film, and Darrow's detailed and elaborate concept art perfectly nails the film's visual aesthetic. The pre-production artwork was so impressive that it was collected in a hardcover volume, The Art of the Matrix, in 2000.
