If you read our previous article about Netflix making a statement of intent with the awesome House of Cards (http://wp.me/p32hec-om) then you’ll know our thoughts on the Netflix model being the future of original content production and distribution. Further proof of this fact can be found in Nielsen now extending their ratings measurements to include streaming content.

Well, hot off the presses via http://www.screenrant.com is the news that techno-genius-oddballs Andy and Lana (formerly Laurence) Wachowski (The Matrix, Cloud Atlas) are teaming up with Babylon5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to develop their own original series for Netflix. Under the current working title of Sense8, it is currently slated for release in 2014.

Details of the premise are scant to say the least, but in true Wachowski form they have given us a cryptic snippet, describing it as “a gripping global tale of minds  liked and souls hunted”………..Yeah, I have no idea what that means either, but I can tell you this. I am beyond excited at the prospect of this.

Now, the Wachowskis make visually stunning but narratively ropey movies. They love complex stories about existentialism, spiritualism and sense of identity. It worked brilliantly with The Matrix. It worked less well in Reloaded and Revolution. Their visual style worked well on their elements of Cloud Atlas, but narratively it was too complex to translate from page to screen. So the prospect of them layering their genius visual stylings over a story they can play out for 12 or 15 hours gets me excited, if with some trepidation.

We will keep our ear to the ground and keep you posted with more news as we hear it…