“The Matrix” franchise has been through a lot. It saw a major studio take a chance on two rising filmmakers — Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski — to make an ambitious sci-fi movie, and they were rewarded with a global box office phenomenon. Two bloated, pretty terrible sequels followed, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” not to mention an anime-inspired anthology, “The Animatrix,” which kept the brand going, along with video games too, but these followups didn’t have the same innovation as the first film. By time 2005 rolled around, it seemed every avenue to squeeze a dollar out of it had been exhausted. So, naturally, the property will be rebooted.
THR reveals that Warner Bros. is in the process of relaunching “The Matrix,” and while the trade tips that Michael B. Jordan might be interested in starring, it’s all very, very early. The studio seems to be in the process of figuring out who will be involved beyond screenwriter Zak Penn (“The Avengers,” “Ready Player One“). The original producer, Joel Silver, actually sold his rights to the property to the studio back in 2012, and WB has little interest in working with him again, most crucially because he butted heads with the Wachowskis. And while the siblings aren’t involved yet, you can probably imagine that WB is eager for them to give their support, even if they won’t be lending their creative talents.
Rumors of “The Matrix” being rebooted have floated for years, and it wasn’t long ago that chatter was going around that the Wachowskis were writing outlines for a whole new trilogy. But don’t think about asking Keanu Reeves to return — as far as he’s concerned, Neo’s journey is over.
“I’m dead. I died. I was even dead in ‘The Matrix.’ I’m gone. I’m like a nameplate on a park bench. It’s not even as Neo. It’s Thomas Anderson. And there’s a plate on a fucking bench and he’s gone. He’s been consumed. By the cosmos,” he told us in 2014. Plus, we’d rather him go make some more “John Wick” movies.
The big question, of course, is who will direct “The Matrix.” Thoughts? Take the red pill and let us know in the comments section.