Keanu Reeves' Neo Gives Comfort to 'Matrix 4' Director -- Heartbreaking Reason Disclosed

By Alexandria Reeves

US actor Keanu Reeves and Canadian-born actress Carrie-Anne Moss pose for photographers on a terrace of the Palais des festivals during the photocall for "Matrix Reloaded" directed by the Wachowski brothers during the 56th Cannes film festival on 15 May 2003. - Sci-fi franchise "The Matrix" will return for a fourth film with Keanu Reeves reprising his role as kung fu-kicking, shades-wearing hero Neo, studio Warner Bros said Tuesday. Lana Wachowski will helm the project, returning to write, direct and produce the latest installment of the hugely popular series about humans trapped in a virtual reality by machines, which has netted more than $1.6 billion worldwide.

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss' characters, Neo and Trinity, played a huge role in director Lana Wachowski's heart.

Almost two decades since the last "Matrix" movie appeared, Reeves and the franchise's team came back to continue the story. Although they originally died during "The Matrix Revolutions," the showrunner decided to bring them back due to a heartbreaking reason.

Wachowski recently joined the screenwriting panel at the International Literature Festival Berlin, where she revealed the real reason she decided to bring back Neo and Trinity to the franchise.

Per the director, she decided while still feeling the heartbreak after losing her parents and a close friend. During that dark times, she reportedly could not sleep and spent her time crying all night long.

But then the thought of Neo and Trinity came out, and the idea reportedly comforted her.

"It was immediately comforting to have these two characters alive again, and it's super simple. You can look at it and say: 'ok, these two people die and ok, bring these two people back to life and oh, doesn't that feel good,'" she said. "Yeah, it did! It's simple, and this is what art does and that's what stories do, they comfort us."

Wachowski's Sister Grieved Differently

While the director decided to move forward, her sister, Lilly - who worked with her since the beginning of the trilogy - decided to stop her journey.

As they tried to work together on the film, the family dealt a huge blow. One of their parents died while working on the new concept. After Lana got inspired despite the loss, their second parent passed away in the late 2010s.

Lilly found it unattractive to return to the franchise as she may experience the same events again. By leaving the franchise, she would not have to go through the same phase again.

"I didn't want to experience the feeling of losing mom and dad again. There was no desire to return to what I did before, walking along the already well-trodden paths," Lilly went on.

She also noted how -- after working on "Jupiter Ascending," Cloud Atlas," and "Sense8" season 1 - she felt exhausted. Although she tried to regain her will to work on "The Matrix," she reportedly could not find a reason at all.