The Matrix Resurrections (the official name for The Matrix 4) is set for release in late 2021, but there’s still heaps of mystery around the fourth film. While we know who’ll be returning, what filming currently looks like and when it’ll release, actual details on story and how it connects to the original Matrix trilogy are yet to be unveiled. Here’s everything we know about The Matrix Resurrections so far.
The Matrix Resurrections Australian Release Date
The Matrix Resurrections was set for release in mid-2021 before the coronavirus pandemic forced filming to halt in March 2020. While it returned to filming in June, the production scramble and subsequent changes to the Warner Bros. movie schedule meant it was pushed back by a few months.
As of writing, The Matrix 4 is set to release on December 26, 2021 in Australia. If you want to watch the first three films, you can find them on Netflix.
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The Matrix Resurrections Trailer
As of writing, Warner Bros. has released two trailers for The Matrix Resurrections. Here is the first trailer that took us back to The Matrix.
Here’s the second trailer for The Matrix Resurrections, giving us a bit more information on the world and its plot.
The Matrix’s original cast is (mostly) returning
Original Matrix trilogy stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back for The Matrix Resurrections, reprising the roles of Neo and Trinity. While the original trilogy was directed by the Wachowski sisters, only Lana Wachowski will be returning to direct the fourth film.
Unfortunately, Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne, isn’t set to make an appearance in the film. The actor told New York Magazine in August he’d not been invited to return.
Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith is another original face who won’t be joining the sequel. Weaving explained this was due to scheduling conflicts, indicating Agent Smith was originally set to play a part in The Matrix Resurrections despite being vanquished in the third Matrix film.
Other cast members include the returning Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe (who played a much larger role in the Enter the Matrix video game than in the films), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist), Jonathan Groff (Frozen), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Baywatch), Stephen Graham (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Ellen Hollman (Love and Monsters) and Andrew Caldwell (iZombie).
It’s a massive cast, but their roles in the story are mostly a big mystery.
The Story of The Matrix Resurrections
So obviously we don’t know too much right now. Considering the end of The Matrix Revolutions, it’s a bit up in the air as to how the story will go.
Here’s what we do know – Neo’s back in the Matrix with heaps of strange memories, remembering flashes of his life as the chosen one. He seems to not remember being, well, the chosen one from the first three movies and is instead living his life in the Matrix, a giant computer program run by AI simulating society, with thousands of humans hooked into it.
There’s a lot to be confused about. What’s the explanation for Neo returning to the Matrix? What about Trinity’s death? Where’s Morpheus? We’ll likely get answers, but for now, speculation reigns.
It’s likely that Neo didn’t die in The Matrix Revolutions and that his body is being looked after by the robots who took it, last we saw him in the third movie. The second trailer alludes to this, but we’re hesitant to say what the plot of this mind-bender could be before it comes out.
As for Morpheus, it’s tough to say. A younger Morpheus could be being played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, or he could be completely absent. Hell, Morpheus could be dead entirely, as the 2005 MMO The Matrix Online would lead you to believe. Trinity, though? It’s tough to say. It looks like she’s being kept alive outside of the Matrix in a pod, but we don’t know. As the second trailer would lead us to believe, the movie is going to focus quite a bit on Trinity and her relationship with Neo, but again, we’ll have to wait and see.
The Matrix 4’s story is still a massive mystery
At the conclusion of the original Matrix trilogy, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity sacrificed themselves to save humanity from the machines ruling the world. Both Neo and Trinity are set to appear in The Matrix 4, but how they survived (and Morpheus didn’t) is still unclear.
This is The Matrix we’re talking about, though, so it’s likely down to some machine trickery, an as-yet-unexplained god-like power from Neo or something else entirely.
While it’s arguable whether we actually needed a fourth Matrix film, it appears the film’s cast has every faith the movie will repair the damage caused by the critically-hated Matrix Revolutions (a film which really isn’t that bad).
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Keanu Reeves called the film’s script “beautiful” and stated it was more of a love story.
“Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me … That’s the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It’s been really special and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say and that we can take some nourishment from.”
Cast members have already described their awe at seeing Reeves return to the role of Neo, with filming said to be an “exhilarating” experience.
During filming, Reeves has been spotted with long, John Wick-style hair as well as a buzzcut like the one he sports in the original Matrix film, so it’s likely The Matrix Resurrections will retain the dual narrative of the original movies, with action taking place inside The Matrix and in the real world.
Whatever the outcome, we’re in for a wild ride.
This post has been updated since it was first published and we’ll update more as soon as we know. While you wait, why not check out every other major sci-fi, fantasy and horror flick set to release in 2022.