Cloud Atlas directors Wachowskis and Tykwer: 'we're emotionally married'

‘Cloud Atlas’ directors Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer described their relationship as ‘an emotional marriage, and said their extremely close partnership was the only reason they spent four years making the film together.

[Related story: Jim Sturgess - 'Cloud Atlas is epic']

It’s highly usual to have two, let alone three directors on one project, but the Wachowski siblings – who co-helmed the ‘Matrix’ trilogy – found a spiritual soul mate in German director Tykwer.

Tykwer told Yahoo! Movies UK: “Once in a while you meet people where you that even conflicting subjects will always be attacked in a solving and loving way. Usually those are the people you end up marrying! But we couldn’t do that…

Added Lana, previously called Larry before gender reassignment surgery: “Directors don’t get to spend time with each with other. The only way we do get to spend time with each other and celebrate that emotional marriage we have is making a movie together.



“This isn’t about work, we never got paid, we put our own money into it. The only reason we kept doing it was because we loved being with each so much… and we loved the book. We loved this hope that we all had to make something that no-one had ever seen before or ever experienced before.”

Based on the David Mitchell book, ‘Cloud Atlas’ consists of six interwoven stories that range from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future.  The ensemble cast, including Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, James D’Arcy and Doona Bae play different roles in all six stories.

The Wachowskis and Tykwer each directed different segments, which were then cut into the finished film.

Andy Wachowski said: “All you have to do is look at the harmony of the film itself. That harmony is a projection of that collaborative effort.”

‘Cloud Atlas’ is in cinemas now.