Warner Bros. is going back to the Matrix.
The studio announced that a fifth “Matrix” movie is in development. It’ll be the first installment without Lana or Lily Wachowski as directors. Instead, “The Martian” screenwriter Drew Goddard will handle filmmaking duties. He will also write the script and produce with his partner at Goddard Textiles, Sarah Esberg. Lana Wachowski, who helmed the most recent “Matrix” installment, 2021’s “Resurrections,” is attached as an executive producer.
It’s not clear who from the “Matrix” universe — Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss have anchored all of the prior movies as Neo and Trinity, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined in the most recent iteration — will return.
Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Warner Bros. Motion Pictures president of production Jesse Ehrman teases that the story will advance the fantasy world without straying too far from what made the series a success.
“Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” Ehrman said in a statement. “The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making this new ‘Matrix’ film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis’ spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”
Goddard was nominated for an Oscar for writing “The Martian,” the sci-fi adaptation directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. His other feature film credits include writing “Cloverfield” and “World War Z” and serving as writer-director on “The Cabin in the Woods” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”
“It is not hyperbole to say ‘The Matrix’ films changed both cinema and my life,” Goddard said. “Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”
“The Matrix,” which kicked off the franchise in 1999, is considered one of the most influential science-fiction movies of all time. It inspired three sequels, 2003’s “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” and 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections.” The fourth installment, which arrived after an 18-year gap and was the first to be directed solely by Lana, was a massive box office disappointment. That’s partly because “The Matrix Resurrections,” like Warner Bros. entire 2021 slate, was available simultaneously on HBO Max for no extra charge. It grossed just $159 million worldwide against its $190 million budget.
From Variety US
