With the current state of studio filmmaking relying more and more on known properties and reboots, remakes, and revivals, it’s amazing what classic franchises have yet to get the green light. Well, as seen in a new interview with one of the film bosses over at Warner Bros, just because nothing has been announced doesn’t mean the studio isn’t exploring options to bring back franchises like “Mad Max” and, yes, even “The Matrix.”
Speaking to the LA Times, WB executive Kevin Tsujihara was asked about a variety of topics, including which franchises he’s interested in rebooting and bringing back for public consumption. Unsurprisingly, the executive was quick to name two franchises that are fan-favorites.
“We have incredible franchises on the features side such as ‘The Matrix,’” revealed Tsujihara. “We’d love to work with George Miller on furthering the ‘Mad Max’ franchise. We feel there’s a big opportunity on the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera side as well. We need to invest and build those franchises up. We think that, despite their age, they still maintain a special place in kids’ hearts.”
This is far from the first time that “Mad Max” and “The Matrix” have been mentioned in the rumor mill. After the financial and critical success of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” fans have been itching to find out when filmmaker George Miller would come back with a new story in the universe. There have been teases, but still no confirmation. Just recently, Erik Davis over at Fandango dropped a juicy tidbit on Twitter claiming that WB is currently working on a new “Mad Max” film. So, fingers crossed on that one.
The other franchise mentioned is one that fans are apprehensive about seeing brought back. After the first ‘Matrix’ film blew the minds of film fans worldwide, it seemed as if WB had found itself the next “Star Wars”-style mega-franchise. However, the following two sequels, ‘Reloaded’ and ‘Revolutions’ failed to live up to the creative heights of the original and the franchise was quickly left behind.
Rumors circulated in the years past about new versions of “The Matrix” coming back, either in sequel form or full reboots. But nothing has materialized. However, with the advancement of special effects, and enough time between films, it’s clear that WB is licking its lips at the thought of bringing a new ‘Matrix’ film to theaters.
READ MORE: Writer Zak Penn ‘Desperately’ Wants To Bring Back ‘The Matrix’
With all that being said, there are some franchises that are getting a revival that Tsujihara is especially excited about. Including the upcoming ‘Space Jam’ sequel produced by Ryan Coogler.
“I’m really excited about ‘Space Jam 2,’” said the executive. “We signed Bugs Bunny, and that was a tough negotiation [laughs]. We have a ‘Tom and Jerry’ movie. We have a lot of stuff in development around those beloved characters on the movie side that we want to augment on the TV animation side.”
So, are “Mad Max” and “The Matrix” sequels/reboots on the horizon? It sure does seem that way. We’ll just have to collectively wish for the best and pray to the film gods that these don’t turn into monumental disasters.
So WORLD WAR Z 2 is officially dead and not happening… BUT… I'm hearing whispers of another sequel that's beginning to rev its engines… pic.twitter.com/eFyRkC2kh0
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) February 6, 2019