DOCUMENT: Crime

Unraveling "Matrix" Man's Money Trail

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Unraveling "Matrix" Man's Money Trail

RAPPED: The bully who beat little Eminem.

MAY 21--Hours before last Wednesday's blockbuster opening of "The Matrix Reloaded," a Los Angeles judge froze the business assets of one of the movie's directors, the result of an increasingly contentious divorce battle between reclusive Hollywood power Larry Wachowski and his wife of nine years. In addition, new court filings provide a rare and detailed glimpse into the lucrative financial deals struck by Wachowski and his brother Andy, the duo responsible for jointly writing and directing the trio of futuristic "Matrix" movies. On May 14, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu signed the below restraining order barring Larry Wachowski, 37, from receiving any "monies, property, or anything of value" from the two film production companies he co-owns with his 35-year-old brother. The freeze was ordered after lawyers for Thea Bloom, Larry's estranged wife, alleged that since Wachowski had not been entirely forthcoming with details of his financial situation, an eventual "orderly distribution" of community property could only occur if his current corporate assets were enjoined (married in October 1993, Bloom filed for divorce last December). In connection with the restraining order request, Bloom's counsel filed previously confidential correspondence detailing deals the Wachowskis negotiated in connection with "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," scheduled for release later this year. Along with a comprehensive letter from Bloom's counsel, Dena Kleeman, to Wachowski's divorce attorney, we've also included letters from Wachowski's business attorney describing his client's movie and video game deals. The letters disclose that the Wachowskis were paid $5 million for the last two "Matrix" scripts and got $6.6 million for directing the flicks. Larry, one letter discloses, also gets 5 percent of the "gross receipts" of the films, which are expected to each generate hundreds of millions of dollars. On a final note, despite recent reports that Larry Wachowski's marriage may have cratered due to his purported fondness for cross-dressing and S&M play, Bloom's filings do not mention such hijinks. Though she does note that her husband "has been extremely dishonest with me in our personal life" and that the couple's separation was "based on very intimate circumstances concerning which I do not elaborate at this time for the reasons of his personal privacy." (15 pages)