‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Writer Says It’s a ‘Weird Creation’ That ‘Subverts the Rules of Blockbusters’
Zack Sharf
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss aren’t the only talents reuniting with filmmaker Lana Wachowski in “The Matrix Resurrections.” The fourth installment in “The Matrix” film franchise is co-written by David Mitchell, author of “Cloud Atlas.” Wachowski worked with Mitchell on the 2012 film adaptation of that novel, and then they joined forces to write “The Matrix Resurrections” with “The Lazarus Project” author Aleksandar Hemon. Mitchell teased “Resurrections” in an interview with Greek newspaper To Vima (via Total Film magazine).
“I saw the film in Berlin in September. It’s really good,” Mitchell said. “I cannot tell you what this 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.”
Warner Bros. continues to keep plot specifics about “The Matrix Resurrections” under wraps. Reeves returns as Neo, who in the trailer is living in what looks like modern day San Francisco without any memory of the events depicted in the original “Matrix” trilogy. Neo does not even recognize Trinity (Moss) when the two bump into each other at a coffee shop. At some point a mysterious character (franchise newbie Jessica Henwick) arrives to send Neo on a new mission. “Watchmen” Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II pops up as Morpheus, but not the same one that Laurence Fishburne played in the first three movies.
“I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus,” Abdul-Mateen II teased to Entertainment Weekly in October. “I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of 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.”
“The Matrix Resurrections” opens in theaters December 22. The film will also be available to stream on HBO Max starting the same day.
