Trash Mountain | Lily Wachowski to strike out on her own with new solo queer-comedy drama

Lily Wachowski, one half of “The Matrix” filmmaking duo The Wachowskis, has announced she will be directing a rare solo outing herself with the announcement of “Trash Mountain,” a “queer-comedy-drama” starring up-and-comer Caleb Hearon.

The film is set to follow a young gay man living in Chicago who returns to his hometown of Missouri after the death of his father - who also happens to be a “hoarder.”

Lilly Wachowski expressed her excitement to direct the project 'Trash Mountain' after her friend Caleb Hearon sent it to her. In a statement to Collider, Lilly said, "It is a beautiful, melancholic and humorous piece of work." She further added that it is crucial to have queer representation and stories at this time when people are being pushed to the margins. Caleb and Ruby, the talented writers of the show, bring a ray of hope in these dark times."

Hearon, who appeared in “Jurassic World Dominion” in 2022 and wrote the animated series “Human Resources,” co-wrote the script with Ruby Caster, while Colin Trevorrow, who directed Hearon in that instalment of “Jurassic World,” has come on board as producer under his production company banner, Metronome Film Co. 

The film marks the first solo feature for Lily Wachowski, known aside from her work with Lana Wachowski on “The Matrix” for “Speed Racer” and “Bound,” the 1998 lesbian crime thriller starring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon - which is currently being reevaluated since the release of Rose Glass’ new film, “Love Lies Bleeding,” set to open this year’s Glasgow Film Festival.

In recent years, Lilly has worked in television, as a co-creator of Netflix’s “Sense 8” and as a showrunner, writer and executive producer on Showtime’s “Work in Progress,” in which Hearon guest starred. “Trash Mountain” is her first feature project in nearly a decade, the last being the 2015 space opera “Jupiter Ascending.” Her sister, Lana, went solo for the first time to helm Warner Bros.’ 2021 revival of the “Matrix” franchise, “The Matrix Resurrections.”