‘The Matrix 5’ Is Officially in the Works With a New Director

It’s time to head back into The Matrix.

Warner Bros announced on Wednesday, April 3, that a fifth installment of the sci-fi franchise is in the works. Former Matrix directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski won’t be taking helm of the film this time around, with The Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard stepping in for directing and writing duties. Lana, who helmed the 2021 Matrix film Resurrections, is attached as an executive producer.

There’s no word yet on if stars from the previous installments — including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jonathan Groff and Priyanka Chopra Jonas — will be returning to the underworld. The studio remains tight-lipped about the film’s plot, though Warner Bros. Motion Pictures president of production Jesse Ehrman teased in a statement that fans can expect a few changes to the universe.

“Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” Ehrman said. “The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making this new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis’ spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”

Goddard, whose writing credits include World War Z and Cloverfield, shared his excitement about entering the Matrix world with his own statement, emphasizing that the films changed “both cinema and [his] life.”

He added, “Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”

Reeves, who played Neo in the past four films, hinted that he previously turned down “other agents” interested in making another Matrix film. While promoting Resurrections in 2021, the actor explained that his interest level in returning to the franchise was “not really” there until he heard from Lana.

“But, for me, I had a hesitancy in being involved in something that wasn’t signed off by the Wachowskis,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald, noting that he was “grateful and thrilled” when Lana reached out about the film’s fourth installment, The Matrix Resurrections. 

The film, which arrived two decades after the original, hit home for Reeves with its message.

“It was all about the love story,” he said. “[Lana’s] desire to bring Neo and Trinity [Carrie-Anne Moss] together again, and the feeling that it could be good medicine for her, for the story, and, potentially, for the audience.”