Warner Bros has just announced that a fourth instalment of The Matrix franchise is in the works. The news comes after John Wick: Chapter 3 director, Chad Stahelski set rumours swirling earlier this year by suggesting that the Wachowski sisters were working on a new instalment in the franchise.
Over the last few years, Warner Bros. had been trying to find a way to reintroduce The Matrix to a new audience but ran into a few delays over producing rights which slowed down the project.
But with Keanu Reeves brand doing extremely well at the box office (with hits that included John Wick 3 and Toy Story 4) the studio saw the perfect opportunity to create a buzz and speed up development.
The new movie will see stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity respectively. The role of Morpheus, originally played by Laurence Fishburne, may be recast for a younger take on the character.
Co-creator and director of the original Matrix trilogy, Lana Wachowski will take the helm as director and co-producer of the new feature project. She shares scriptwriting duties with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell.
Speaking about the new instalment Wachowski said, “Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.”
The new movie also has Warner Bros. partnering with Village Roadshow once more.
“We could not be more excited to be re-entering the Matrix with Lana,” Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement. “Lana is a true visionary. A singular and original creative filmmaker and we are thrilled that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter in the Matrix universe.”
The first movie in the Matrix trilogy was released in 1999. It was groundbreaking in its idea of reality and the introduction of “bullet time”. After critical acclaim and astounding box office success it was followed by two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003.
There are currently no plot details available for The Matrix sequel. However, some sources suggest that production on the film is scheduled to begin early next year.
