The Matrix returns: Drew Goddard takes the helm for fifth installment
Warner Bros plans to get back into The Matrix. This time around, Lana Wachowski serves as executive producer.
The filmmakers have stated that a fifth “Matrix” film is in the works. This will be the first installment without Lana or Lily Wachowski as directors. Drew Goddard, the screenwriter for “The Martian,” will instead take on the filmmaking responsibilities. He will also collaborate with Sarah Esberg, his Goddard Textiles partner, to write the script. He has attached Lana Wachowski, the director of the most recent “Matrix” film, 2021’s “Resurrections,” as an executive producer.
This will be the first Matrix picture without direct involvement from creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski, while Lana Wachowski will serve as an executive producer.
The studio said that Goddard approached the company with a new idea to expand the series, but they are keeping the plot details for Nebuchadnezzar under wraps.
Warner Bros. Motion Pictures head of production Jesse Ehrman teases that the plot will enhance the fantasy world while staying true to what made the series successful, despite the lack of published plot details.
It’s unclear who from the “Matrix” universe will return. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss have played Neo and Trinity in all of the previous films, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined in the most recent edition.
Goddard was nominated for an Oscar for writing the sci-fi adaptation “The Martian,” which was directed by Ridley Scott and starred Matt Damon. Other feature film credits include authoring “Cloverfield” and “World War Z,” as well as serving as writer-director on “The Cabin in the Woods” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”
After playing Neo in The Matrix (1999), actor Keanu Reeves rose to prominence, becoming the highest-paid actor for a single production by recreating the character in the sequels Reloaded and Revolutions. Fans are eager to see the skilled actor, who at the age of 59, lead a large blockbuster movie franchise like John Wick, return to the role.
