Warner Bros. is going back to the Matrix.
The studio announced that a fifth „Matrix” movie is in development. This is the first installment without Lana or Lily Wachowski as directors. Instead, „The Martian” screenwriter Drew Goddard will handle production duties. He will write the script and produce with his partner at Goddard Textiles, Sarah Esberg. Lana Wachowski, who directed the most recent “Matrix” installment, 2021’s “Resurrections,” is attached as an executive producer.
A Who's Who of the „Matrix” universe — Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss have anchored all of the previous movies, including Neo and Trinity, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Graf, Neil Patrick Harris and Priyanka Chopra Jonas join the cast. The most recent iteration – returns.
Plot details have not been released, 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 hit.
„By honoring what Lana and Lily started 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love, Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe is an incredible way to continue the Matrix world. Series and characters,” Ehrman said in a statement. „The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled to have Drew produce this new 'Matrix' film, building on a quarter century at the Wachowskis' studio.
Goddard was nominated for an Oscar for writing „The Martian,” a sci-fi adaptation directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. His other 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's no exaggeration to say that 'The Matrix' films changed cinema and my life,” said Goddard. „Lana and Lily's exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am grateful for the opportunity to tell stories in their world.”
„The Matrix,” which launched 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 came after a gap of 18 years and was originally directed solely by Lana, was a huge disappointment at the box office. That's because „The Matrix Resurrections” is available simultaneously on HBO Max at no extra charge, as is Warner Bros.' entire 2021 slate. It grossed only $159 million worldwide against its $190 million budget.