‘The Matrix 4’: Sci-Fi Action Sequel Becomes A Mini ‘Speed Racer’ Reunion As Lana Wachowski Adds Christina Ricci To Cast

Actress Christina Ricci is venturing down the rabbit hole for her “Speed Racer” co-director Lana Wachowski as she has officially landed a mysterious part in “The Matrix 4,” despite the sequel wrapping production months ago. Her name magically appeared in a Warner Bros. press kit for the fourth installment outlining the film’s cast and was spotted by the eagle-eyed folks at Collider. 

READ MORE: ‘Matrix 4’ Actress Says Lana Wachowski Will “Change The Industry Again” With New Techniques In The Sequel

Reprising their established roles from previous films are Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe, Lambert Wilson as the mischievous villain Merovingian, and “John Wick“s Daniel Bernhardt back as the persistent Agent Johnson. The collective of new cast members consists of Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neal Patrick Haris, Priyanka Chopra, Toby Onwumere, Brian J. Smith, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, Ellen Hollman, and “Mindhunter” star Jonathan Groff. 

Major plot or character details on “The Matrix 4” have been extremely scarce, although, Deadline alluded to Jessica Henwick’s part as “a female-like Neo character.”  There’s also no word on who Christina Ricci plays.

READ MORE: ‘The Matrix 4’: Hugo Weaving Says Lana Wachowski Nixed Negotiations For Him To Return

“The Matrix” takes place in a dystopian future where man has lost a distant war with machines. Humans have since become the machines’ new power source, and to keep their conscious organic batteries sedated, a digital world was created, The Matrix. An artificial construct where humans can live out their lives as they would have in the past before machines became the dominant force on Earth and the planet was ruined during the war. The last group of free humans live in a subterranean city known as Zion and have been attempting to find “The One,” a sort of messiah figure, with the help of friendly programs from The Matrix such as The Oracle. 

READ MORE: Neil Patrick Harris Describes Lana Wachowski’s Relaxed ‘Matrix 4’ Filming Process: “She Made It Feel Very Intimate”

It spawned two messy but financially successful sequels, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions.” The R-rated trilogy earning an impressive $1.6 billion at the global box office, which is likely a big reason Warner Bros. decided to resurrect the franchise after such a long hiatus.

There is a good shot that Warner Bros. could be pursuing a second trilogy with the new cast members taking the reigns; that’s if this next installment is a big hit for them. Ricci was last seen in 2018’s “Distorted” and 2017s “Z: The Beginning of Everything” series, which she led. Ricci is also scheduled to appear in “50 States of Fright” and “Percy” later this year.

Warner Bros. has given “The Matrix 4” a prime holiday release spot on December 22, 2021.