Burlyman Entertainment

History

"Burlyman" was the The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions' production codename. According to the films' visual effects supervisor John Gaeta, the title is a reference to a film they all loved; the Coen brothers' Barton Fink. He points out that the Wachowski Brothers agonized and struggled to make the Matrix films, just like Fink had to, to write "THE BURLYMAN" screenplay, a wrestling picture. However on The Matrix Comics Vol. 1 graphic novel the Wachowskis playfully discuss a different origin for the company's name. According to them, Burlyman was the name of their first script, a wrestling picture. They add they either haven't seen Barton Fink, wouldn't like to see a movie that sounded like it was subtitled or that it isn't a good movie as long as it doesn't have any wrestling in it. In truth, the Wachowskis are familiar with the movie and include it to a list of movies they have made to recommend to anyone who "want[s] to understand Hollywood".

Burlyman Entertainment first started as the publisher for the Matrix Comics series started by the Wachowskis, which was published into two separate volumes. Burlyman Entertainment also published some new, non-Matrix related comics: Shaolin Cowboy, written and drawn by comic book artist Geoff Darrow, who also served as the conceptual designer for the Matrix Trilogy, and Doc Frankenstein, written by the Wachowskis and drawn by Steve Skroce, the storyboard artist for The Matrix trilogy, and previously worked with the brothers on the comic book series, Ectokid.

Since the start of the company, the release of the two ongoing series were irregular, with a professed bi-monthly release schedule that has yet to be fulfilled. The most recent issue was released in December 2007, leading to speculation the company has become defunct. On August 2010, comic book creator Geof Darrow stated the company was still going and Steve Skroce was drawing a new issue for Doc Frankenstein, with plans to collect all issues in graphic novel form. On January 2014, Darrow reiterated that Burlyman is not dead, explaining that periods of inactivity are due to the Wachowskis being busy making movies, and adding that as far as he knows the Doc Frankenstein arc will be completed in 2014.

On June 2014, Steve Skroce was interviewed revealing Doc Frankestein is indeed being collected in two parts the second of which includes the final two issues, while Burlyman Entertainment's webshop was updated to include a message stating they're still in business and "big things [are] ahead". It was later announced that part two of the trade will be released in 2015, but this was later delayed to 2016. A trade of Shaolin Cowboy was also announced for release on December 3, 2014.

Among its seemingly canceled projects, the first volume of The Matrix Comics featured an advertisement for The Art of The Matrix Reloaded, Revolutions. During initial testing a dummy version of the Reloaded book came at 588 pages, bigger and thicker than the original Art of The Matrix book. After Geof Darrow suggested that the books have been canceled due to their immense size and thus cost compared to the perceived demand, the last update on the books status was in 2006 in the form of a forum post by editor Spencer Lamm declaring that they had been sidetracked by the V for Vendetta: From Script to Film book and that they had yet to fully develop the idea of how to create the two Art books.

Appearances

The company made an appearance at the 2004 Comic-Con in San Diego which included an actual "Burly Man" (looking very much like their company mascot), and two "Burly Babes" passing out giveaways branded with the company logo and ongoing series' titles. Later, the Wachowski Brothers appeared and asked questions from the audience, making it one of their few public appearances over the last decade.

In the movie V for Vendetta, posters for a film 'Burlyman 7' can be seen in the background of a tube train and several street scenes.

Titles