“The Matrix Resurrections” Theatrical Poster
Lana Wachowski, who created The Matrix trilogy with Lilly Wachowski (the two visionary directors are collectively known as “The Wachowskis”) is currently hard-at-work putting finishing touches on the fourth installment of The Matrix series, titled The Matrix Resurrections (read our review), with returning stars Keanu Reeves (John Wick 3), Carrie-Anne Moss (Memento) and Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions)
Chad Stahelski (John Wick 2, John Wick 3) and David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde) have been enlisted in assisting with the development of the training and choreography. Stahelski stressed to Collider that it’s mostly conceptual as opposed to a full-on second unit position.
“They asked us to help out with the choreography and some of the physical training for the guys. I’m helping out a little bit for a sequence, I think Dave’s helping out for a sequence. Lana’s come back with a lot of love to have a pseudo-family reunion, so that’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good to see a lot of the crew members again. We just finished doing a sequence in San Francisco before the pandemic started,” said Stahelski.
Geof Darrow and Steve Skroce – who served as storyboard and concept artists on the original Matrix trilogy along with Jim Martin – are also plugging back in for the sequel. Both artists are primarily known as frequent award-winners in the comic book world, but they’ve also both worked alongside the Wachowskis on not only The Matrix, but also V for Vendetta, Speed Racer, and Jupiter Ascending (via Collider).
Aleksandar Hemon (Love Island) and David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) are lending their writing talents to Wachowski, who is also producing along with Grant Hill (Titanic). At this time, plot details are being kept under wraps.
Here are a list of actors who will be appearing in The Matrix Resurrections:
- Keanu Reeves (Man of Tai Chi) as Neo
- Carrie-Anne Moss (Jessica Jones) as Trinity
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) as Morpheus
- Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Reloaded) as Niobe
- Daniel Bernhardt (The Matrix Reloaded) as Agent Johnson
- Neil Patrick Harris (Gone Girl)
- Jessica Henwick (Marvel’s Iron Fist)
- Priyanka Chopra (Baywatch)
- Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow)
To most, The Matrix (and its sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions) was known for its spectacular action scenes and groundbreaking special effects. To others, The Matrix was reponsible for giving us our first taste of Hong Kong action from director Yuen Woo-ping, who choreographed the film’s memorable martial arts sequences. The Matrix is also noted for being influenced by John Woo’s style of action in films such as The Killer and Hard Boiled, as well as a number of Japanese animation titles.
The Matrix Resurrections will premiere simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd. Until then, watch a clip below, followed by a recent Trailer:
I’ve been missing out on a lot of 20 year anniversary re-releases so I hope to catch The Matrix. I saw it on the biggest screen in my town back then, but it’s worth it to do it again!
“For some, The Matrix was reponsible for giving us our first taste of Hong Kong action from director Yuen Woo-ping…”
You talkin’ to me?
And me! I tracked down as many films of his as I could when I learned the name!
got to work with Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) earlier this year on LOVELAND and reconnected him with Yuen Woo-ping, was great to see them back together and heard a lot of cool stories from the shoot I’d never heard before
The Matrix still holds up, sadly the sequels have a lot of issues that have gotten worse with age
They’re certainly not immune to criticism, but with Reloaded the only part I didn’t like was in the Neo vs multiple Smith fight scene where he turned into a gelatinous CGI figure. Everything in the scene before that looked convincing.
I agree, for me ‘Reloaded’ comes with a bad rep mostly because of those few overly ambitious CGI moments, when the technology just wasn’t quite there at the time.
As a fan of Asian action cinema though, it delivers. You get Collin Chou in a prominent role, Yuen Woo Ping choreographing the likes of Daniel Bernhardt and David William No, plentiful fight scenes, and one of the most entertaining car chase sequences to ever hit the screen. If anything, ‘Reloaded’ leans more on the Wachowski’s love of HK action than the original, which in my opinion is inadvertently one of the factors that led to it not being as successful.
That car chase sequence was top notch! It was was like several action scenes pieced together to make a big spectacle, and I love it when directors do that.
It’s just unfortunate that CGI Jello Neo has to ruin the movie for me. I’d rather not use that skip button.
Awesome! Did Woo Ping work on that too or was the reuniting separate from the film?
No, YWP didnt work on Loveland, just while we were shooting i arranged for him and Hugo Weaving to meet up again
Don’t forget The Animatrix, too.
And here we go…again… Yuen Woo-Ping was born in 1945. For Matrix 8, he’ll be like 95 year old… Hollywood is a joke, sadly not even funny anymore…
Should also bring back Colin Chou. Underrated.
Hopefully this iteration of the One will have enough mental capacity to effect the program and not just push reset button like everyone before him.
Do we really want to see another Matrix film? My prediction is, now its directed by two transvestites, it will be rammed with wokeness and non-binery propaganda in an attempt to reclaim “the red pill” from common vernacular..
Yes the first Matrix is good, It has some incredible sequences and even injected ideas into the zeitgeist. But we must be honest and admit that it killed the tangible thrills of action pictures in that it erased genuine physicality. Post-Matrix is a cinema where nobody gets hurt and any actor can fly-kick over a speeding car. We dont even know if the actors are there half the time. The physical danger is gone and an educated audience knows this.
And when we examine the first Matrix, it would be nothing without its theft from anime and Hong Kong action.. When you look at the horrible sequels, they just dont deliver and thats all on the filmmakers vision veering away from being derivative into something probably more personal but useless. Transhumanist video-games that nobody could connect to. These garbage sequels make me think the first was a fluke, mostly centering around a few visual innovations.
I think a far more exciting and important film is No Retreat No Surrender, not just because they got there first with an “American” Hong Kong action picture, but they also told an archetypal story so purely and sincerely that its grainy look and inaudible tin-can sound quality doesn’t prevent this shining through. The whole film has a physical continuity throughout that I can only compare to a ballet from start to finish. There is a rhythm to the whole picture.
Picking-out CGI bullets frozen in mid-air with your fingertips is not as exciting as having one foot genuinely raised high in a noose and with your other foot having to kick a punching bag. Much like what was represented on screen, It was even frightening for the actor at first. I rewatched NRNS recently and like every time I see it, it surprises me what a cohesive piece of visual art it is.
So I yawn at the idea of another Matrix sequel, just as my friend fell asleep next to me watching Matrix: Reloaded in the cinema.
I recently caught up with the trilogy on Netflix, and it took me 3 months to get through Matrix 3. It couldn’t hold my attention. I finally finished it but I couldn’t tell you how the heck it ended. As far as Chad Stahelski and David Leitch involvement with Matrix 4, I’m pretty sure their input is more than what they want us to believe. They’re the “it” action guys right now. They were hired for a reason. As you said, as far as action, Lana Wachowski’s input lies somewhere in the “picking-out CGI bullets frozen in mid-air with your fingertips” realm. Either way, I’m curious to see how Matrix 4 plays out. I have nothing to lose but 2 hours and $12 bucks.
“Do we really want to see another Matrix film? My prediction is, now its directed by two transvestites, it will be rammed with wokeness and non-binery propaganda in an attempt to reclaim ‘the red pill’ from common vernacular..”
Seriously? I mean, hate the movies all you want (I happen to enjoy them), but seriously? “Non-binary propaganda”? What does that even mean? And god forbid someone make a movie that’s personal or doesn’t cater to straight white dudes. Are you this bothered when black directors make sequels to their own movies, and at the prospect of the film MAYBE addressing social dynamics (since we don’t know next to nothing about Matrix 4’s plot or its supposed propaganda)?
Thank you ToryK.
Forgive some of my grammar – more sleep is needed.
““Non-binary propaganda”? What does that even mean? ”
It means this:
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/lilly-wachowski-confirms-matrix-series-transgender-allegory-n1235927?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
And that translates to propaganda how? If I made a science fiction action movie that touched on race (as I happen to be black), am I making “darkie propaganda”? You haven’t pointed anything out other than the fact that you’re a bigoted, backwards ass. Scott Adkins rocks, by the way.
I mean, Jesus, just don’t watch it. Why would you even want to? Why are you even complaining about something you’d never watch in the first place?
Neurotic leftist, go eat a dick instead of to put all this horseshit here. Fuck off!
No. Fuck you and your hateful bulletin. It’s not woke to have a fucking heart, you psychopath.
Bullshit*. Apologies for the language, moderators, I just can’t stand this rhetoric.
Thank you from all rational action fans.
I think the Wachowskis went too far in one direction when it came to their influences with the sequels. At the time of their release, they said in interviews that ‘Reloaded’ will be more of a homage to kung-fu cinema, while ‘Revolutions’ was going to lean heavily on the anime influence. While both did what they said on the tin in that respect, that doesn’t necessarily make them good (although the highway chase in ‘Reloaded’ is still up there as one of the best).
I’m not sure I agree with the statement that ‘The Matrix’ is responsible for “a cinema where nobody gets hurt” (assuming we’re speaking specifically about Hollywood output). ‘The Matrix’ itself had plenty of high impact fight scenes, and I dare anyone not to wince when Morpheus has his head smashed through a toilet bowl. However your statement is so broad in its intent it’d be impossible to justify with any degree of logic.
If you want to go back to a pre-green screen cinema with streamlined action narratives, stuntmen taking high impact hits and falls instead of CGI, and a promise of “non-binery propoganda”, open Netflix and click on ‘Extraction’. It was released just 1 week ago, unless Netflix is considered too woke of course. 😛
First of all, the The Wachowskis are transgender and not transvestites. There is a clear distinction.
Second, I am sure they are capable of leaving out social politics. But even if it does get included it doesn’t automatically have to be a bad thing. Still I do wonder how Neo and the world of Matrix would have place for such politics.
Third, I am with you on the fact that I am not really waiting nor wanting a Matrix 4. What could they possibly elaborate on? And will it be a sequel, prequel, sidequel? I don’t see how those would work. Maybe it’s an alternative reality or one of the cycles before the truce. The more I think about it the more ridiculous the idea sounds.
“I am sure they are capable of leaving out social politics..”
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/lilly-wachowski-confirms-matrix-series-transgender-allegory-n1235927?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
The first Matrix inspired a school shooting and now it’s gonna automatically inspire ….trans? Zzzz
I wouldn’t bother, my dude. You’ll get some shady statistics, double talk and pompous ramblings from an unsound mind for your troubles.
You had me until No Retreat No Surrender came up; entertaining in an I can’t believe how incredibly, un-apologetically bad this movie is, how did it ever get a theatrical release kind of way? Absolutely. In any way superior to The Matrix? Even Corey Yuen would laugh at that suggestion.
Guess it all comes down to personal taste, to each his own.
Agree. Good for those who love “No Retreat No Surrender” but pulling it out as an example of superior film-making to The Matrix is some seriously “being contrarian for the sake of it” stuff. Like saying Tony Jaa’s mix of martial arts skills and acrobatic prowess in Ong-Bak can’t hold a candle to Kurt Thomas in Gymkata 🙂
Yuen woo ping need to come back for the action choreography …his the best and most suitable..
No Fishburne? No Hong Kong legend at the fight choreography (but please no more Yuen Woo-ping !)? No me.
Agreed it shouldn’t be Woo-ping, but outside of him and Sammo (who I also don’t think would be a good fit for this), what other legendary Hong Kong fight choreographers are still active and cranking out quality work?
Yeah, Sammo Hung would be awesome. And to hire him AND Ching Siu-tung, two different styles, would be even more awesome. Yuen Bun could be cool, not from HK but Iko Uwais could bring something more brutal, Donnie Yen, Corey Yuen (too inconsistant IMHO), Stephen Tung Wai (vastly underrated),…
Avoid this new movie like AIDS.
If you like Christina Ricci, go watch Buffalo 66.
“If you want to go back to a pre-green screen cinema with streamlined action narratives, stuntmen taking high impact hits and falls instead of CGI”
No, thanks, I don’t care about Extraction. Just hot Drunken master II on Blu-ray and it’s better than all Hollywood action movies from Matrix to today’s Murvel crap…put together.
You know it’s good when a 20 year old Tupac movie used the same subtitle.
As long as it’s not Halloween: Resurrection…
Look out for The Matrix: Re:Born in 2025.
I’m so psyched for this. This is the most excited I’ve been about a trailer in a LONG time.
I’m right there with you. The clips they’ve shown so far have been tantalizing. Who knows, maybe a fourth ‘Matrix’ movie might just save cinema as we know it…
I don’t think anything’ll save cinema as we know it, but then again, I think there’s still a wealth of good stuff to watch. I miss mid-budget movies and films for adults, but there’s good stuff in the books and crannies if you look for it. That is, unless you mean theaters. Who knows where that’s headed.
But yeah, everything so far looks and sounds stellar. They’ve even brought some of the grit back from the first one, it seems. I’m normally able to keep my expectations in check, but this one’s got me feeling like a giddy little kid again!
I am cautiously optimistic about the trailer. It looks intriguing, and there are hints of some potentially stellar action design. It’s kind of a bummer that Lana Wachowski didn’t shoot it on film, though, even just to keep this sequel of a piece with the original trilogy; there were a couple of shots in the trailer that looked very digital.
I like the cast—Jessica Henwick was the best thing about Netflix’s ill-fated ‘Iron Fist’ series, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II looks like he fits the Morpheus role like a glove, and Jonathan Groff from Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter’ is good casting if he’s playing some kind of Agent Smith variant.
A lot of Netflix people, I wonder if that’s just because of the Wachowskis’ own show, ‘Sense8’!
I think very slowly, cinema is going to be saved. And while this’ll be showing on HBO MAX the same day, I think enough people will want to see Matrix 4 on the biggest screen possible.
It’ll be interesting to see how much wire fu is integrated and how much of the action will be grounded.
Based on the brief glimpses of the teaser trailer, I am wondering if the new film will suggest that after humanity was given a choice a choice at the end of the Matrix trilogy—stay in the Matrix or wake up—far more people than Neo & co. anticipated have chosen to stay inside the virtual reality, ‘medicating’ themselves with the blue pill. That is, most people prefer a safe and artificial world to the pain and discomfort of reality. This feels like a smart direction to go with the story in 2021.
It really does! And honestly, that’s something for I’ve always identified with – Cypher’s choice. I wouldn’t have stabbed my makeshift family in the back to do it, but I don’t blame him from wanting back in. They definitely seem to be reframing things a bit here, what with the glimpses of violence in the streets. The Blue Pills look like they may not remain the oblivious NPC’s they normally are this time around, and that has me excited. Maybe after Neo wakes back up and those Blue Pills turn into Red Pills, we get to see the uprising the end of the first film only hinted at.
This is a great point. I didn’t even think about it but that’s our unfortunate climate today and I wonder how the film will comment on it.
I’m looking forward to it but the film doesn’t seem to have the same visual precision that the old ones did. I’m talking about shot compositions and movement; in the old films every frame seems to be perfectly calculated to look amazing and here it is looking a bit more sloppy? Standard? Messy? It doesn’t have that perfectionist artsy feel.
I’m with mixed feelings about this one in particular. For me, the original Matrix movie is self-sufficient and did not require any continuation. The second movie’s only saving grace is the action scenes, but the third one is just abysmal on so many levels. I’m not too sure why we need another movie in the franchise, maybe a conclusion of some sort, a new beginning perhaps? Anyway, I’m at least relieved that the green filter is gone and, the picture gets more clarity this time. It looks impressive, no doubt about it, but will it hold as good as the first one? I do hope that it won’t be one big ambiguous meta-commentary, but a solid movie with a good plot and nice choreography. I dislike any type of propaganda (being brought up during the communist regime in my home country), so I just need an entertaining movie at the end of the day, not some deeply boring philosophical monologue (like the one from the Architect at the end of the second movie) as movies and cinema for me is all about entertaining and showing us as an audience new and exciting places you can almost feel through the screen.
I went into Matrix Resurrections with low expectations and ended up liking the movie. At the same time I can get why people are going to be pissed off with the results.
It was nice revisiting familiar ground while getting to know new aspects of the world, although some plot points were a bit much, and I disagreed with the movie’s decision to keep showing clips of the previous films throughout the movie.
The action was handled by Chad Stahelski’s partner Jonathan Eusebio, and he did a commendable job trying to replicate Woo Ping’s action stylings even though it wasn’t quite the same.
Sit has been interesting to see what others say about the movie, but I think it’s important to have an open mind while watching.