Meanwhile, relative unknowns the Wachowskis (having only directed the 1996 film "Bound", as a low budget "audition piece"), impressed by Darrow's art for "Hard Boiled", wanted to work with him on their production for "The Matrix". Warner Bros. contacted Darrow, and after reading the script he agreed to work on the film. Wachowskis also brought comic book artist Steve Skroce from their short stint on Epic Comics' "Ectokid", and the two proceeded to work on the concepts and storyboards which, when finished, played a pivotal role in getting the movie greenlit and financed. The Wachowskis later brought in Darrow as the conceptual designer on "Speed Racer", although his contributions were significantly smaller compared to "The Matrix" trilogy. In 1999, shortly after the release of the first "Matrix" film, the Wachowskis announced they'll be working on an animated adaptation of "Hard Boiled" but the project was cancelled due to Miller not wanting to see his creation as an animated film. In 2019, Warner Bros. announced that Darrow and Skorce will be returning as storyboard artists and concept designers for the production of the fourth installment of "The Matrix".