The Matrix 4 release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know
When it was announced Lana Wachowski was bringing back Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss for a fourth Matrix movie, the internet reacted... well, as you'd expect.
Since then, speculation has run rampant. Along with said speculation, however, a few details have been made public, and now that filming has begun, more details have been released – intentionally or otherwise.
So what do we know, and what can we glean from the news, so far?
The Matrix 4 cast: Who's joining Reeves and Moss in the Matrix?
When Warner Bros. officially confirmed the fourth Matrix movie, they also announced that Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss would be reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity. From that point, more and more A-list names have been added.
Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother fame has signed onto the cast for a significant role. What exactly this role is, however, is being kept under wraps by both Wachowski and NPH.
Marvel star Jessica Henwick is in talks to play a leading role. You'll recognise her from the Netflix series Iron Fist, but who she'll play in the Matrix fourquel is still a mystery.
Also from the Marvel universe, though not the MCU, is Venom star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He also starred in The Greatest Showman and currently stars HBO's TV series adaptation of Watchmen.
In addition, it has been reported that Jada Pinkett Smith is in talks to return to the role of Niobe, who she played in The Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. However, this has yet to be officially confirmed.
There have been several new additions to the cast, though all of their roles are being kept strictly under wraps – no surprise there. Mindhunter and Frozen star Jonathan Groff will join the Matrix 4 cast, alongside national treasure Stephen Graham (Taboo, Line of Duty).
Director Lana Wachowski has recruited a familiar face to join the ensemble: Sense 8 star Toby Onwumere (who is also slated to appear in the upcoming sixth season of TV series Empire) alongside iZombie actor Andrew Caldwell. Their roles, like the others, remain mysterious.
The Matrix 4 plot: Which pill are we swallowing now?
Lana Wachowski announced: "Many of the ideas [sister] Lilly [Wachowski] and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I'm very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends."
We have no idea what ideas these might be, but we've rounded up some of the best and barking-est possible plots for you. The screenplay will be co-written by Wachowski and The Lazarus Project author Aleksandar Hemon and Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell, so you can bet it will be... dense.
Yet Matrix 4 star Abdul-Mateen has seen the script and is here to assuage our fears. He told Entertainment Weekly: "I’m very excited to do it. A great team and I think there’s going to be a lot of … it’s a very exciting relevant script that I’m honoured to be a part of."
That was all he divulged, and we can't expect much more to come from his co-stars. But that doesn't mean we can't speculate.
The Matrix 4 release date and trailer: They'll come, but when?
Warner Bros has confirmed that the fourth Matrix movie will be released on May 21, 2021, which is exactly the same release date as Reeves' John Wick 4.
Clearly, that means Neo and Wick are connected. (NB – probably not true.)
Production is scheduled to start in February of 2020 in Chicago. However, San Francisco based paper SF Gate has revealed it's likely the movie is poised to start production in their city. "The film is working under the title Project Ice Cream, per industry trade magazine Production Weekly.
"Here's why it's big news: The San Francisco Film Commission confirmed to SFGATE a major film with the working title Project Ice Cream is scheduled to shoot in San Francisco in February, around the same time production is due to begin on The Matrix 4."
As for a trailer? Well, given the release date, we can probably expect footage by the end of 2020.
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