With the impending fourth movie of “The Matrix,” Lana Wachowski is bringing the classic action franchise back to our big screens for a fourth time. Eighteen years after “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” polarized cinema critics and fans, Lana Wachowski is bringing the famous action franchise back to the big screen for a fourth time with the impending fourth installment of The Matrix. The film’s title, “The Matrix: Resurrections,” was revealed at the 2021 CinemaCon, and while it’s an appropriate title given that the film will have to explain how main characters Neo and Trinity are now alive, there’s enough information about the secretive fourth “Matrix” installment to get fans excited for its December 22, 2021 release.

The Matrix Resurrections Trailer

At its CinemaCon presentation, Warner Bros. made a big announcement: the trailer for its Village Roadshow co-production Matrix 4. The official title has also been revealed by Warner Bros.: The Matrix: Resurrections.

The trailer begins with Neil Patrick Harris conversing with Neo, played by Keanu Reeves. San Francisco in the not-too-distant future. Neo appears to be confined in a mundane environment, similar to his original self in the 1999 film. He simply does not comprehend his environment.

Neo, played by Reeves, wonders aloud, “Am I insane?” Harris’ therapist says, “We don’t use that word in here.”

In a café, Reeves runs into Carrie Anne Moss’ Trinity and inquires, “Have we met?”

As Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” song plays, a shot of blue pills spills into a sink.

Then there’s a glimpse of Neo in the mirror, warping into an elderly guy. A younger Morpheus tells Neo that it is “time to fly” and is given a red pill.

Then there’s a lot of jumping, a lot of mid-air twists, fighting, and all the other acrobatics you’d expect from a Matrix film.

The Matrix Resurrections Plot

The Matrix Resurrections is, if nothing else, an extraordinarily suitable title, given the fates of Reeves and Moss’ characters. Consider the rare set photos production, which shows Moss’ Trinity riding a motorcycle with a very un-Neo but unmistakably Jesus-looking Keanu Reeves pillion.

How is this even possible? Neo killed himself at the end of The Matrix Revolutions to assist the machines in stopping Agent Smith, resulting in a shaky peace treaty. Trinity, too, devoted her life selflessly, supporting Neo on his trek to the Machine City (in the “real world” of the Matrix) so that Neo could agree to stop Smith in exchange for the humans’ survival in their last remaining city.

Apart from those mentioned above (and likewise incredibly sparse) images posted from the set, the storyline specifics are almost non-existent as of this writing. So, from a plot standpoint, what can we tell you about The Matrix 4? Looking back to the series’ origins might be the best approach in this situation.

Is Matrix resurrections a prequel?

When asked if “The Matrix 4” will be a prequel, with events taking place before the original 1999 film, Reeves simply teased, “No, no. No going in the past.”

Is The Matrix 4 a sequel?

Given the lack of information about The Matrix 4, it’s probably speculation to assume that the film will take place after the events of The Matrix Online – or that the game will be mentioned at all. Perhaps The Matrix 4 will be a final farewell to the returning cast members, as they give the torch to the next generation of actors to carry the Matrix universe’s stories into the twenty-first century.

Is Neo dead in Matrix 4?

The Matrix 4’s more profound mystery is the “how” rather than the “why” of Neo’s resurrection. Since the news, a slew of intriguing hypotheses about Neo’s reappearance has surfaced. Among them include being revived by The Oracle, a previous version of Neo time-traveling from the past, and Keanu Reeves portraying a completely different role.  Another possibility is that Neo is still alive as a digital being inside the Matrix.

The trilogy’s polar opposite settings – the actual future world of Zion and the more recognized simulation that Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity control to their will – are part of the Matrix’s widespread appeal. Each important human figure has two distinct versions, like the badass, leather-clad Trinity in the Matrix riding motorcycles and shooting bad guys, as opposed to the more average, the plainly dressed woman in Zion. It’s likely that when The Machines sent a surge of electricity into Neo’s body to kill him, only his actual body died, leaving Neo’s residual self-image untouched.  Like Neo, the Oracle, who was consumed by Agent Smith but was brought back to life by the last scene in The Matrix Revolutions, lays a precedent for this. Because The Oracle was entirely made of code, Smith’s demise seemed to have not affected the digital beings that the villain had assimilated. Neo’s RSI may still be out there.

Is Agent Smith in The Matrix 4?

The Matrix trilogy’s principal nemesis, Agent Smith, may not return in The Matrix 4 instead of focusing on the more significant Machine threat. Due to a schedule conflict with a theatrical role, Hugo Weaving will not star in The Matrix 4. Also,  director-writer Lana Wachowski has stated that Smith was an early part of the tale for the future film. There has been conjecture that another actor, Jonathan Groff, will play a different character version. However, if Weaving’s absence forces a significant rewrite, Smith’s absence may have the happy side effect of allowing for a more significant focus on the Machines and other Agents.

The Matrix Resurrections Cast

Let’s take a deeper look at the movie’s confirmed cast. Keanu Reeves as Neo: Previously meek-but-inquisitive hacker Thomas Anderson locked up within the imaginary confines of the Matrix. With the help of Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Neo would break free of the Matrix’s computer-generated prison. And then aid other awoken rebels (known in the Matrix world as “red pills”) in fighting to free humanity’s remnants from the enslavement of robots that bred humans as batteries and kept them submissive by giving them the Matrix’s dream world.

Neo would become known as “The One,” a messianic figure whose coming was prophesied by The Oracle (“herself” a computer program with her plan for the human race’s survival), to bring humanity to complete freedom and victory over the machines. The original Matrix Trilogy followed Neo’s enlightenment, ascension, and eventual demise as he attempted to fulfill the Oracle’s prophecy and forge a sense of peace between man and machine.

Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise her role as Trinity, a former hacker who has transformed into a latex-clad badass. Trinity served as the second in command to Laurence Fishburne’s character Morpheus before becoming Neo’s love interest (and kicking a lot of ass). The Matrix: Revolutions is as much about their journey together as it is about the climactic clash between man and machine. 

Niobe is played by Jada Pinkett Smith, who is known as the best human resistance pilot (her hovercraft piloting under a ludicrous amount of enemy pressure in The Matrix: Revolutions is a spectacular justification of her reputation). In the original trilogy, Smith’s character Niobe did not believe in “The Prophecy of The One.” Hence this is possibly the most shocking cast member to return to the Matrix universe.

Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian. Wilson made his first appearance in The Matrix: Reloaded, followed by a brief cameo in The Matrix: Revolutions. Merovingian, a self-described “information trafficker,” is software that has no allegiance to machines or human rebels. He exists as an exiled program inside the computer-generated world of the Matrix, primarily interested in his objectives.

Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson: Bernhardt had his film debut in The Matrix: Reloaded, albeit he only featured in the middle film of the trilogy as Agent Johnson until his casting for The Matrix 4 was confirmed. The Agents are Matrix police programs that chase down human rebels who illegally link into the Matrix and any renegade programs marked for elimination. They are unimaginably powerful phantoms, capable of jumping into and out of the bodies of any humans still enslaved by the Matrix. Any human rebel they encounter is nearly sure to die.

Other roles for The Matrix 4 have been cast, but the nature of the new characters we can anticipate meeting is being kept under wraps. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwunmere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, and Priyanka Cho are among the other cast members.

One notable absence is Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, who had declared that he would not be invited to reprise his role for the upcoming film. Hugo Weaving, who plays renegade Agent Smith, is also noticeably absent. 

Why did Lilly Wachowski leave Matrix 4?

Lilly Wachowski took a long sabbatical from the entertainment industry in 2016. After working together on the first season of Sense8, Lana and Michael Straczynski wrote and directed the second season on their own. Lana Wachowski was working on a film or television project for the first time without her sibling. When she talked at the TV Critics Association tour earlier this year, Lilly described herself as having “one foot out the door” in terms of science fiction.

The director also stated that science fiction typically relies on and thrives on subtext, but she hasn’t felt motivated to pursue storylines with a lot of subtext since her transition. As a result, Lilly’s lone recent on-screen appearance is in the upcoming drama/comedy Work In Progress, which she views as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Some fans may be disappointed that the complete original cast will not be returning for The Matrix 4, especially given Lilly’s role in the original Matrix trilogy. However, the director’s enthusiasm for science fiction has waned in recent years, and it’s pointless to take on a massive project like The Matrix 4 if you don’t care about it. It would be damaging to both the film and the individual to do so. Lana Wachowski clearly still has a great desire to create mind-bending science fiction visual feasts, so having her go alone on this occasion makes a lot more sense.

However, Lilly Wachowski hasn’t ruled out a full-time return to the film industry in the future. It’s also feasible that The Matrix 4 may serve as a launchpad for a new trilogy, so a Wachowski reunion on The Matrix 5 isn’t out of the question.

Will there be Matrix 5?

Keanu Reeves hinted at future possibilities. After a five-month delay due to Covid-19, most filming for the fourth installment of the Matrix franchise wrapped in November 2020. Star Keanu Reeves previously stated that ‘Matrix 4’ will not be a prequel to the original trilogy, which ended in 2003. Instead, following the conclusion of Matrix Revolutions, it will take off.