Written by on Jun 16, 2014. Posted in On Location

Wachowski siblings to film debut TV series on location in Chicago

Filmmaking siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski will film part of their debut TV series in Chicago. Still best known for their iconic Matrix movies, the siblings are working on the sci-fi TV drama Sense8, which will spend six weeks filming at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios this summer.

Cinespace Chicago Film Studios is also set to host the second season of ambulance comedy Sirens and the hip-hop drama Empire.

“These series are a great shot in the arm for Chicago after the disappointing loss of pilots that shot here but weren’t picked up and those pilots greenlit for series that shot somewhere else,” said Brad Mattys, President of union Local 476, in comments to Reel Chicago.

The Wachowskis are Chicago natives and most recently filmed scenes in the city for their sci-fi feature Jupiter Ascending, now due for release in 2015.

Six different TV series filmed in Chicago in 2013, including the Dick Wolf dramas Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, boosting the city’s location filming by 20%, but this year has been sluggish by comparison. In the last few months, Cinespace Chicago Film Studios revealed plans to expand its existing facilities with a dozen new sound stages and a water tank. The studio hosted this year’s young adult sci-fi feature Divergent, but the producers have taken the sequel to Atlanta for the more generous filming incentives.

Chicago also faces competition from Detroit, which partly doubled for Hong Kong in Transformers: Age of Extinction and is also the base for superhero feature Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.