Even though Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow once vowed to push forward with more “Matrix” projects with or without the involvement of The Wachowskis, we honestly thought the studios were done with “The Matrix” franchise following the only mildly-received “The Matrix Resurrections.” However, a surprising report from Deadline has announced that filmmaker Drew Goddard (“Cabin In The Woods”) is attached to write and direct a fifth “Matrix” film, which will continue the action-packed cyberpunk story.
Reassuringly, the new installment will maintain a connection to the original trilogy. Lana Wachowski, who directed “Resurrections” and co-directed the original trilogy, will be involved as an executive producer.
One aspect that remains to be determined is the cast. As of now, it’s unclear if familiar faces like Keanu Reeves, Carrie Anne-Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jessica Henwick will reprise their roles. While it seems unlikely that Lana would be involved without them, the future of the cast lineup and most details remain a mystery.
The original “Matrix” recently celebrated its 25th-anniversary last week and focuses on a group of humans in an alternative dystopian future where humans are used as a power source for a conscious society of artificial intelligence that has enslaved humanity after they lost a war and placed these human batteries in a digital reality leading to Reeves’ Thomas Anderson to break free and become Neo, sort of cyberpunk messiah that can manipulate the matrix and defeat literal killing machines in the form of “agents.”
Goddard has been rumored to be in the mix for Marvel’s “Spider-Man 4” alongside Justin Lin. He has long attempted to nail a comic book franchise gig with Marvel projects like the “Deadpool” spinoff movie “X-Force” and Sony’s “Sinister Six” going into development. Still, neither project ever came to fruition (he also executive produced and wrote on Netflix’s “Daredevil” series but parted ways as the show began).
We’ll have to be patient for more details for “Matrix 5,” and the angle Goddard’s incarnation takes.