It’s Official: ‘The Matrix 4’ is Coming and Will Reunite Keanu Reeves, Director Lana Wachowski

(TMU) — As The Matrix is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Variety magazine reports that a fourth film in the series is officially set to restart the groundbreaking cyberpunk series, with Keanu Reeves reprising his role as “the One,” Neo, and Carrie-Anne Moss returning as Trinity.

Lana Wachowski, who comprised half of the original creative team, will also return to direct the third sequel to the film, and co-wrote the film with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchell.

On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich announced:

“We could not be more excited to be re-entering ‘The Matrix’ with Lana. 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 original Matrix trilogy centers around a nightmarish future where humans are enslaved by machines while trapped in a computer simulation before “Thomas Anderson,” a humble computer programmer and hacker, is reborn as the messiah-like Neo.

The film was hailed by critics and audiences alike for its blockbuster action sequences, spectacular CGI special effects, creative violence drawing inspiration from Hong Kong film and Japanese anime alike, and its original science fiction plot. The original Matrix still holds a “Certified Fresh” 88 percent rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

The trilogy—comprised of The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003)—was written and directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, starred Moss and Reeves, and grossed over $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

The trilogy was also accompanied by The Animatrix, which delved into and expanded the backstory of the Matrix universe including the apocalyptic war between the A.I.-powered machines and humankind.

Lana Wachowski told Variety:

“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.”

Confirmation of the project comes after years of rumors regarding Warner Bros. attempts to restart The Matrix series, with rumors circulating that the next installment was going to be a prequel focusing on a younger version of the character Morpheus, originally played by Laurence Fishburne. According to those rumors, popular actor Michael B. Jordan of Black Panther and Creed was set to portray young Morpheus. Sources told Variety that the role of Morpheus may indeed be recast to star a more youthful actor.

According to Variety, production is set to start toward the beginning of 2020.

By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com