SEOUL, South Korea-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. scored a deal to make a specialized device to be used in the upcoming “The Matrix: Reloaded” movie due out in May, although the details of the deal are unclear.
Samsung confirmed it has a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to make a mobile phone for the upcoming “Matrix” movie. The film is the highly anticipated sequel to the 1999 science fiction blockbuster “The Matrix.” However, the company declined to provide further details.
A Web site, www.thematrixphone.com, seems to offer a brief glimpse of the upcoming device. An animated graphic first flashes the date May 15, 2003 (the release date for the movie), then flashes the word Samsung, then offers a split-second glimpse of a gray, mobile phone-type device featuring the Samsung logo.
Nokia Corp. provided the phones for the first “Matrix” movie, props that played a prominent role in the film’s plot. Nokia, which does not sell a commercial version of the phone used in the movie, said it was bombarded with requests for the device. The company said it will now only provide commercially available phones for use as movie props.
Interestingly, Nokia recently released its 8890 device, which features a spring-loaded mouthpiece similar to the devices used in “The Matrix.”
Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak said the company isn’t involved in the upcoming “Matrix” sequels.
It is not known if the Samsung device would be an actual product available to consumers or simply a movie prop.
