TheMatrixfranchise stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are reuniting for the upcoming fourth film,The Matrix Resurrections. The original co-director of all theMatrixmovies, filmmaker Lana Wachowski, will also be joining the reunion as well, but screenwriter David Mitchell indicates that fans shouldn’t expect an average blockbuster.
AlthoughThe Matrix Resurrectionsfeatures many of the artists who made the franchise successful in the first place returning, Wachowski has added some fresh energy when it comes to the writing room with the inclusion of Mitchell. Wachowski wrote the first three films with her sister, Lilly Wachowski. Many filmmakers and screenwriters are navigating the delicate balance between preserving a franchise’s magic while also not dulling down its shine in the process of adding to the narrative of the characters.
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During an interview with the Greek newspaper To Vima, Mitchell recently revealed some hints aboutThe Matrix 4’s plot, most of which has remained quite hidden. He stated, “I saw the film in Berlin in September, it’s really good. I cannot tell you what the film is about, but I could explain what it is not. It’s certainly not yet one more sequel, but something autonomous that contains the three Matrix that preceded in a really ingenious way. It’s a very beautiful and weird creation. It also achieved a couple of things that we do not see in action films, meaning it subverts the rules of blockbusters.” The ‘rules’ of blockbusters that Mitchell is alluding to have been broken and rebelled against inThe Matrix 4aren’t precisely named. What fans can take from this statement is that the character of Morpheus may in fact be one of the ways the film subverts expectations.
Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIis now stepping into the role of the character of Morpheus, which is bringing in a wave of newness to the original cast. He recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly saying, “I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix and the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that, this is definitely a different iteration of the character.”
It’s a very tricky scale, to keep enough of the foundation of the story so that fans are invested, but not enough of the same energy to where boredom or even disappointment may occur. This is perhaps why, to prevent this from happening, Lana Wachowski brought in Mitchell, who is also known as the author ofthe novelCloud Atlas.
In 2012, the film adaption ofCloud Atlaswas where Mitchell and Wachowski collaborated for the first time. Wachowski must have seen something in Mitchell’s way of story-telling that demonstrated and exemplifiedthe inventive quality ofThe Matrix Resurrectionsthat she wanted to convey. The synopsis forThe Matrix Resurrectionsreads, “twenty years after the events ofThe Matrix Revolutions, Neo lives a seemingly ordinary life as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco, where his therapist prescribes him blue pills - neither he nor Trinity recognize each other. However, Morpheus offers him the red pill and reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix."
The Matrix Resurrectionshits theaters and is available for streaming through HBO Max on December 22nd, 2021.
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