The Matrix: 20 Things You Didn't Know
15. The Helicopter Scene Nearly Shut The Movie Down
The Wachowskis spent six months preparing the scene where Neo rescues Morpheus in a helicopter. The chopper itself was missing its propellers for the sake of safety and had them inserted during post-production with CGI.
It may sound like the filmmakers thoroughly planned out this scene but there was one huge problem they hadn't prepared for:
The law.
When they transported the helicopter towards New South Wales, they illegally passed through restricted Sydney airspace. This was such a huge concern, and it nearly shut the whole movie down.
After much discussion, the government changed the law to allow the Wachowskis to shoot the scene the way they intended. If it wasn't for the authorities' intervention, the scene would've been abandoned and placed the entire production into jeopardy.