Warner Bros. in the early stages of developing a Matrix reboot

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

I hope you're ready to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, again, as THR reports that Warner Bros. are developing a reboot of THE MATRIX. Although the entire MATRIX trilogy was considered a success, the two sequels which followed didn't receive nearly the same amount of praise as the original, which doesn't exactly set the stage for a return to the world of the machines.

Warner Bros.' reboot is still in the very early stages, but Zak Penn (READY PLAYER ONE) is currently in talks to write a treatment for the reboot and sources say that there's interest in Michael B. Jordan (CREED) to star. However, the Wachowski siblings, who wrote and directed all three MATRIX movies, are not involved in the project, at least, not yet. I'd be shocked if the studio didn't at least seek out their blessing, but who knows whether this reboot will even reach fruition.

Less than a month ago Keanu Reeves was asked whether he would be up to returning as Neo in a fourth MATRIX film, and he didn't seem too put out by the idea, provided his conditions were met, namely, the Wachowskis would have to be involved.

They would have to write it and direct it. And then we’d see what the story is, but yeah, I dunno, that’d be weird, but why not? People die, stories don’t, people in stories don’t.

According to THR, there was talk of adapting the franchise for television recently, but that idea wound up being shot down. Warner Bros. is apparently looking closely at what Disney and Lucasfilm have done with the STAR WARS franchise, and they could use the reboot to explore "hidden corners" of THE MATRIX universe, such as a "young Morpheus movie." There's definitely plenty of stories which could be told in the world of THE MATRIX, but I can't say that I expected Warner Bros. to reboot the whole thing.

One way I could see this going is if they take the "legecy-quel" approach, picking up 10-15 years after the events of THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS with a new machine uprising against the now prosperous city of Zion. The stage would be set for a new group of characters to take charge, but would also allow for appearances from a few of the original characters as well as keep the franchise's mythology intact.

Take it away, folks. What are your thoughts on a reboot of THE MATRIX franchise?