Would anyone like to choose between the red pill or the blue pill?
The popular “Matrix” film series is set to grow with a forthcoming fifth episode, in which Lana Wachowski, the original co-writer and co-director, will take on the role of executive producer. As per a press announcement from Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard has been appointed to both write and direct the film, along with his producing partner Sarah Esberg. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent company of CNN.
In a statement on Wednesday, Jesse Ehrman, President of Production at Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, expressed that Goddard approached Warner Bros. with a fresh concept that is widely believed to be an exceptional approach to expanding the Matrix universe. This approach aims to pay tribute to the original work of Lana and Lilly (Wachowski) from over 25 years ago, while also providing a distinct viewpoint influenced by Goddard’s personal admiration for the series and its characters.
Specifics on the storyline and the selection of actors, including the potential reprisal of Keanu Reeves in his renowned role as Neo in the “Matrix” series, have not been disclosed at this time.
A spokesperson for Reeves did not promptly reply to CNN’s inquiry regarding the new undertaking. Goddard made his first film as a director with the highly praised horror movie “The Cabin in the Woods” in 2011. He then wrote and served as an executive producer for the film “The Martian” in 2015, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.
“The Matrix” debuted in 1999 and features Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The dystopian science fiction saga chronicles the journey of Neo (Reeves), a skilled computer hacker who is recruited to join a revolt against a cyber-intelligence system upon uncovering the revelation that humanity is ensnared within a simulated existence referred to as the Matrix.
The inaugural film, which has since become a classic, generated a staggering revenue of more than $467 million at that time, making it one of the most lucrative cinematic releases of the year. The film subsequently received four Academy Awards and generated three follow-up installments, namely “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” in 2003, and “The Matrix Resurrections” in 2021.
Over the course of its 25-year existence, the series has accumulated a global revenue of about $2 billion, as reported by the studio.