The announcement of a new entry in The Matrix franchise has been followed by some positive words from Keanu Reeves, as well as rumors of a younger version of Neo appearing in the movie. While the news seemed to imply that Zak Penn’s Matrix project was no longer on the cards, it’s now been confirmed that we’ll actually be getting two separate Matrix films from Warner Bros.
Penn has been working on a new pic in the series for several years now, and took to social media today to clarify where things are with his and Wachowski’s movies, explaining the situation as follows:
“”People keep asking, so let me clarify there are two different Matrix projects at WB. I wrote one set earlier in the timeline of the Matrix universe. Lana Wachowski is directing a sequel that I did not work on but can’t wait to see. Neither of them are reboots.”
Plans for bringing back The Matrix have been percolating for some time, although there haven’t been any firm updates for a while on Penn’s project. In May 2017, the writer confirmed that he wasn’t working on a reboot of the franchise, but rather an extension of the universe from the original films and related media like the The Animatrix. Given Penn’s latest comments today, it seems reasonable to assume that his movie is the prequel we heard about from our sources earlier this year, with Michael B. Jordan as a younger version of Morpheus.
In terms of the other Matrix film, or The Matrix 4, we don’t know much yet about how writer-director Lana Wachowski will bring back Reeves’ Neo or indeed Carrie-Anne Moss’s Trinity. However, the reality-bending nature of the franchise leaves a lot of opportunities to extend the story beyond the conclusion we saw in the third movie.
Production will reportedly begin in February 2020 on The Matrix 4, which could mean a 2021 release date. As always, watch this space for further updates.
