‘The Matrix: Resurrections’ Guide: 23 Details to Know About the Return of the Iconic Action Franchise

The Official Poster

Feast your eyes on the official poster for “The Matrix Ressurections.” Front and center are Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as Neo and Trinity. The fan favorite characters are flanked by newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (playing Morpheus, although maybe not the Morpheus fans all know and love) and Jessica Henwick. Just as the official trailer for the movie shook up the visual language of the franchise (a lot of brighter colors, for instance), the poster presents a more 3D, digital cyberspace than the classic green ticker-tape look of “The Matrix.”

There’s a New Morpheus in Town

Shortly after Warner Bros. dropped the official trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections,” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II confirmed the long-standing rumor that he is playing Morpheus in the new movie. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he is playing the same Morpheus that Laurence Fishburne brought to iconic life in the original trilogy. In a November 2021 interview with British GQ, Abdul-Mateen II hinted there’s a difference between playing a character called Morpheus and playing a character who actually is Fishburne’s iteration of Morpheus.

As reported by British GQ: “‘The character’s called Morpheus,’ [Abdul-Mateen II] corrects me, fast. There is some consternation online about why Laurence Fishburne, the original Morpheus, is not playing the character called Morpheus, given Keanu Reeves is back as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. Has he spoken to Fishburne? ‘By the time this interview comes out, I would have. I want to.’ It should be pointed out that Fishburne has not only been very gracious in the build-up to this fourth film, but also that, if you go by strict ‘Matrix’ folklore, namely a video game called ‘The Matrix Online,’ Morpheus is actually dead. ‘It will make sense when it comes out,’ says Abdul-Mateen, who is playing Morpheus but is not Morpheus.”

First Look Images Revealed

On September 7, Warner Bros. debuted the highly anticipated first images from “The Matrix Resurrections” via a nifty website called “Choose Your Reality.” You can click on either a red pill or a blue pill, just like in the original movie, and depending on your choice you’ll get images of either life inside the Matrix — culminating in what appears to be a blue pill-popping Thomas Anderson (the Clark Kent Matrix reality of Keanu Reeves’ Neo) standing on a ledge with a very long drop — or action images of the human resistance fighting back.

There’s Jessica Henwick firing a gun, Reeves looking very John Wick, a guy with a Matrix jack in the back of his head, and new cast member Yahya Abdul-Mateen II first looking at himself in a mirror and then materializing Dr. Manhattan-style in a swirl of nanoprobes.

The coolest thing about the site? That the images you see change based on the time you click.

First Poster

Concurrent with the launch of the Choose Your Reality teaser website, Warner Bros. issued the first poster for the Lana Wachowski film. The red and blue pills have definitely received a detailed, high-def makeover. But it’s also the perfect kind of nostalgia-stoking minimalism. Who doesn’t want to recapture that initial rush of entering the world of ‘The Matrix’ for the first time? (Or maybe just go back to 1999 full stop.)

The poster does remind of an incident in 2020 when Elon Musk, ostensibly throwing his hat in with Republicans protesting California’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns, tweeted “Take the red pill.” Ivanka Trump then quote tweeted him with “Taken!” followed by Lilly Wachowski replying, “F**k both of you.” Back in 1999 the terminology of “red states” versus “blue states” hadn’t yet been inaugurated. And though Lilly isn’t involved in “The Matrix Resurrections” it’ll be interesting to see if Lana, who has directed the film, will in any way address the political appropriation of this aspect of the original film’s imagery.

Keanu Reeves Left Cast Starstruck While Filming

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II told The Hollywood Reporter he was starstruck on set when Keanu Reeves arrived to film their first scene together. “I remember Keanu and his first line,” the actor said. “I looked up, and there was Keanu, and I said, ‘Oh shit, I’m really in “The Matrix,”‘ It was just Keanu in that voice. And the technology that Lana incorporated and the filmmaking, camera rigs that I’ve never seen before. It’s so ambitious. It was really interesting to be making ‘The Matrix 4’ at a time when the world was so warped and when reality was so distorted. It could creep in a little bit if you let it.” 

Laurence Fishburne Is at Peace with Not Knowing Why He’s Left Out

Laurence Fishburne is at peace with all the questions he’s getting about “The Matrix 4,” despite the fact he was never invited to join the next installment of the iconic action franchise. Fishburne recently told Collider when asked if he’s getting tired of being asked “Matrix 4” questions, “It would make sense that people would ask me that, so it doesn’t get old. I am not in the next ‘Matrix’ movie, and you’d have to ask Lana Wachowski why, because I don’t have an answer for that.” Despite missing out on “The Matrix 4,” Fishburne is keeping his franchise work going by rejoining Reeves for the upcoming “John Wick 4.” That sequel is now in production. 

Lana Wachowski Returns

“The Matrix” franchise is once again in the hands of a Wachowski sibling as Lana Wachowski serves as director and co-writer of the latest entry. Lana was behind the camera of the original trilogy alongside sister Lilly Wachowski, who sat “The Matrix 4” out as she was developing and producing the second season of the Showtime comedy series “Work in Progress” during the same time when “The Matrix 4” was shooting.

“Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now,” Lana Wachowski said when “The Matrix 4” was confirmed by Warner Bros. “I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.”

Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich added, “We could not be more excited to be re-entering ‘The Matrix’ with Lana. Lana is a true visionary — a singular and original creative filmmaker — and we are thrilled that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter in ‘The Matrix’ universe.”

Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne-Moss Headline the Cast

Chatter around a fourth “Matrix” movie originally pegged the project as a prequel centered around a younger iteration of Morpheus, mainly because protagonists Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) presumably died at the end of “The Matrix Revolutions.” That turned out not to be the case. Warner Bros. announced “The Matrix 4” by confirming Reeves and Moss would be back headlining the franchise as Neo and Trinity, respectively. 

“I never thought that it would happen,” Moss told Empire magazine about returning for a fourth “Matrix” movie. “It was never on my radar at all. When it was brought to me in the way that it was brought to me, with incredible depth and all of the integrity and artistry that you could imagine, I was like, ‘This is a gift.’ It was just very exciting,” 

“Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me,” Reeves added. “That’s the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It’s been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from.”

Returning Franchise Actors

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will not be the only familiar faces to “Matrix” fans in the fourth movie. Also returning for the next film are franchise veterans Jada Pinkett-Smith, Daniel Bernhardt, and Lambert Wilson. Pinket-Smith stars as Niobe in the franchise, debuting in “The Matrix Reloaded” and reprising the role in “The Matrix Revolutions.” The character is a gifted pilot and one of Zion’s most revered martial artists. Bernhardt is a martial artist who played Agent Johnson in “The Matrix Reloaded,” but his character did not appear in the third film. Wilson, meanwhile, appeared in both “Matrix” sequels as The Merovingian, also referred to as The Frenchman. The Merovingian is a powerful program in the Matrix who behaves like a mob boss.

New Franchise Actors

The actors new to “The Matrix” franchise and introduced in the upcoming fourth movie include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, Priyanka Chopra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, Ellen Hollman, and Christina Ricci. None of their roles have been disclosed by Warner Bros. For Christina Ricci, “The Matrix 4” marks her second Wachowski project following the live-action “Speed Racer” movie.

“Lana and I did more conversing than we did acting in the audition because she’s building a family,” Emmy winner Abdul-Mateen told IGN about joining the franchise. “No one understands the Matrix except for Keanu Reeves and Lana Wachowski. You learn to find meaning [in your role], and then you go test it out. If no one says anything, then you just trust that you ended up doing the right thing.”

There’s No Going Into the Past, Says Keanu Reeves

There is no official plot synopsis for “The Matrix 4” yet, but Keanu Reeves has teased that the love story between Neo and Trinity will continue to be the backbone of the story. The original trilogy ended with Neo’s presumable death, or as Reeves put it in an interview last year, “Things looked a little dire for Neo.” And Trinity died as well, when she was impaled by debris after their hovercraft crashed. Trinity and Neo finding their way back to each other after years apart to prevent some kind of evil threat seems like a natural entry point for “The Matrix 4.”

Reeves has described the screenplay as “a beautiful script that is a love story, it’s inspiring.” The actor added, “It’s another version of a kind of call to wake up and it has some great action. All will be revealed.” When asked if “The Matrix 4” would be a prequel and show events from before the original 1999 movie, Reeves only provided this tease: “No, no. No going in the past.” 

It Will Change Filmmaking Again, Says Jessica Henwick

Neil Patrick Harris stirred up buzz in September 2020 by suggesting Lana Wachowski was changing up the visual style of the franchise for the upcoming fourth outing. Fans are waiting for footage to drop to see what he means, but in the meantime cast member Jessica Henwick said Wachowski’s filmmaking will “change the industry.”

“There are definitely moments on set where Yahya [Abdul-Mateen II] and I look at each other and we just go, ‘Matrix 4.’ Those pinch me moments,” Henwick told Comic Book in 2020. “Yeah. Lana [Wachowski] is doing some really interesting things on a technical level in the same way that you know, she created a style back then. I think she’s going to change the industry again with this film. There’s some camera rigs that I’ve never seen before that we’re using. That’s probably all I can say for that.”

Why Isn’t Morpheus Back? Don’t Ask Laurence Fishburne

One person not involved in any stage of “The Matrix 4” is Laurence Fishburne, who starred as Morpheus in the original “Matrix” trilogy. The actor revealed to Vulture last summer that he was not invited back to play the character in the new sequel. Fishburne added, “Maybe that will make me write another play. I’m looking for the blessing in that. I wish them well. I hope it’s great.”

Fishburne doubled down on his well-wishes for “The Matrix 4” team in an August 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight. Even if “The Matrix 4” is bringing Morpheus back via Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Fishburne says he hasn’t been warned or told anything about his fan favorite character returning, adding, “I have no clue. I haven’t read anything.”

“I have not been asked to join them, which is fine,” Fishburne added. “I am hopeful that it will be wonderful and it will satisfy audiences and that people will love it.”

Scheduling Conflicts Prevented the Return of Agent Smith

One actor who was invited back to “The Matrix” franchise was Hugo Weaving, who starred in the original trilogy as the villainous Agent Smith. Lana Wachowski tried to court Weaving back to the franchise, but scheduling conflicts with a stage production and the pandemic made it impossible for the actor to reprise his role.

“It’s unfortunate but actually I had this offer [for the play ‘The Visit’] and then the offer came from ‘The Matrix,’ so I knew it was happening but I didn’t have dates,” Weaving said in an interview. “I thought [I] could do both and it took eight weeks to work out that the dates would work… I was in touch with Lana Wachowski, but in the end she decided that the dates weren’t going to work. So we’d sorted the dates and then she sort of changed her mind. They’re pushing on ahead without me.”

“The Matrix 4” Co-Writers Are David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon

Lana and Lily Wachowski were the sole screenwriters on the first three “Matrix” movies, which makes “The Matrix 4” the first installment of the movie franchise to be co-written by outside screenwriters. Lana co-wrote “The Matrix 4” script with authors David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. David Mitchell is best known as the author of “Cloud Atlas,” which the Wachowskis adapted into a cult favorite film epic in 2012. Aleksandar Hemon’s best known novels are “Nowhere Man” and “The Lazarus Project.” Both Mitchell and Hemon worked with the Wachowkis as writers on the Netflix series “Sense8.”

A New Cinematographer Joins the Franchise

“The Matrix” is getting fresh blood behind the camera as John Toll is serving as cinematographer. Toll is a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Cinematography thanks to his work on “Legends of the Fall” and “Braveheart,” and he’s a frequent collaborator of the Wachowskis having shot films “Cloud Atlas” and “Jupiter Ascending.” Toll’s additional blockbuster work includes Marvel’s “Iron Man 3.” The original “Matrix” trilogy was shot by cinematographer Bill Pope, but he revealed last summer that working on the two sequels was a punishing experience.

“Everything that was good about the first experience was not good about the last two,” Pope said. “We weren’t free anymore. People were looking at you. There was a lot of pressure. In my heart, I didn’t like them. I felt we should be going in another direction. There was a lot of friction and a lot of personal problems, and it showed up on screen to be honest with you. It was not my most elevated moment, nor was it anyone else’s. The Wachowskis had read this damn book by Stanley Kubrick that said, ‘Actors don’t do natural performances until you wear them out.’ So let’s go to take 90! I want to dig Stanley Kubrick up and kill him.”

Music by Tom Tykwer

The Wachowskis and German film director Tom Tykwer have a rich history together, as they co-wrote and co-directed “Cloud Atlas” director and then collaborated on the Netflix series “Sense8,” created by the Wachowskis and co-directed by Tykwer. Filmmaker Tykwer is the composer for “The Matrix 4,” replacing the original trilogy’s composer Don Davis. Tykwer is often a co-composer on his directorial efforts, from “Cloud Atlas” to “A Hologram for the King,” “Run Lola Run,” “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” and more.

A New Wachowski Collaborator Steps into the Editing Booth

Zach Staenberg was the editor on each installment of “The Matrix” trilogy, winning the Academy Award for Best Editing thanks to his work on the first movie. Lana Wachowski has brought in a fresh editor for “The Matrix 4” with Joseph Jett Sally, although the editor is no stranger to the world of the Wachowskis. Sally edited 24 episodes of the Netflix series “Sense8” and then worked with Lilly Wachowski as an editor of seven episodes of “Work in Progress.” “The Matrix 4” marks the biggest feature editing job of Sally’s career so far, and it should prove to be a huge stepping stone into Hollywood for the rising post-production talent.

Gina Torres Is Confused by Her Omission from “The Matrix 4”

Another franchise actor not returning for “The Matrix 4” is Gina Torres, although she’s not as calm about her omission from the movie as Lawrence Fishburne is about his. Torres had a small supporting role in “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” as Cas, widow of the Nebuchadnezzar’s former pilot Dozer. Cas ended the original “Matrix” trilogy alive, while main characters Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Neo (Keanu Reeves) appeared to die. And yet, Trinity and Neo are returning for “The Matrix 4” while Cas isn’t. In a recent interview with Variety, Torres said she’s looking for answers about these returning dead characters.

“Not to be bitter or anything, but the people that are actually in the movie, I believe died,” Torres said. “And the people that aren’t didn’t. So that’s all I have to say about that. I’m so curious about where they’re going with this. And what’s their jumping off point and what story they want because it just felt like they told it.”

Lana Wachowski’s Directing Style Wasn’t All Pre-Planned

According to Neil Patrick Harris, the filming of “The Matrix 4” was unlike other Hollywood action tentpoles of its kind. In an interview with Variety, the actor detailed Lana Wachowski’s unconventional filmmaking approach to a major studio production. As Harris explained, “It didn’t feel large because it felt like she was in her sweet spot, which was filming on the fly, filming using natural light. Sometimes you’d sit around for an hour waiting for the clouds to clear, and then you’d quickly film.” 

What Harris is describing sounds more like the production of “1917″ or “The Revenant” and less like a studio franchise film. The actor continued, “You’d film pages at a time in 30 minutes and then be done. You would think that a giant movie would be 100% storyboarded, animatics, and we’d be checking off shots. I think she lived that before three times over, and I would suspect that she wants to do things her own way now. It wasn’t often that you felt that you were doing something gigantic because she made it feel very intimate.”

Lana Wachowski Didn’t Use Second Units for Action Scenes

When “The Matrix 4” was in production last April, stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski revealed Lana Wachowski was breaking from typical Hollywood productions by directing all the action scenes herself and not relying on second unit directing teams.

“What makes [Lana] so great is she directs her own action,” Stahelski told Collider. “We’ve had second unit directors on some of the [‘Matrix’ films] just because of the logistics involved. But of late, and especially on ‘Matrix 4,’ she’s directing her own action. The second units for them are mostly establishing shots, the B-sides of some of the compositions for some locations. But Lana, she does her own action. She weaves it into the main unit stuff, which is why their stuff looks so good.” 

Stahelski described “The Matrix 4” as “incredibly fun,” adding, “I think if you’re a fan of the original trilogy you’re gonna love this. It’s coming back with a vengeance.”

Filming Locations

Production on “The Matrix 4” started in San Francisco on February 4, 2020 and continued in Berlin, Germany later in the year. Filming was stopped on March 16, 2020 because of the pandemic, but production had resumed in Berlin by the middle of August. The film was shot at Babelsberg Studio in Germany. Reports emerged after the movie wrapped production in the fall that a wrap party for the movie broke Covid safety laws. According to a report from The Guardian and German outlet Bild, approximately 200 people attended “The Matrix” party on the evening of November 11 at the legendary Babelsberg film studios. The studio maintains the gathering was to shoot a scene in the movie and not for a wrap party. Click here for more on the story.

Release Date

Warner Bros. originally had “The Matrix 4” on the release calendar for May 21, 2021 before the pandemic forced the studio to bump the sequel to April 1, 2022. “Matrix” fans got good news in October 2020 when the studio announced the release was moving forward to December 22, 2021. As a 2021 release, “The Matrix 4” will adhere to Warner Bros.’ controversial hybrid release strategy of opening in theaters on the same day it becomes available to stream on HBO Max for 31 days.