The Matrix could be in for a surprise reboot, nearly two decades after the original movie debuted.
A new report claims that Warner Bros. is in the early stages of “developing a relaunch of The Matrix”. That’s according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cites anonymous sources who are familiar with the matter.
It’s believed that Joel Silver, who produced the original Matrix trilogy, approached Warner Bros. about the idea of a franchise reboot. Although the Reporter notes that Silver reportedly sold his interest in all of his movies to the studio for $30 million back in 2012.
Making matters even more confusing, the Warner Bros are said to be “wary of including him” in the reboot, with the article citing Silver’s alleged budget-control issues and his strained relationship with the Wachowskis, who directed the original movies.
It’s also tipped that the Wachowski siblings haven’t been brought into the project thus far: “At this point, the Wachowski siblings, who wrote and directed the original and its two sequels, are not involved and the nature of their potential engagement with a new version has not been determined. Certainly, Warners would want the two film makers to give at minimum a blessing to the nascent project. The studio had no comment.”
In any case, there’s likely to be major support for diving back into the Matrix universe. The 1999 sci-fi film was a huge hit, winning four academy awards and grossing over $460 million globally. However, the two sequels were significantly less well-received.
The dystopian movie series followed a computer hacker called Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) who learned that the reality humans perceive is actually a computer simulation, and humans are actually farmed for energy by sentient machines. Neo is eventually drawn into a rebellion against these robot overlords, fighting alongside other rebels who are freed from the simulation.
Reeves has already said that he would consider returning to the franchise if the Wachowskis were on board. Speaking to Yahoo Movies, he said: “They would have to write it and direct it. And then we’d see what the story is, but yeah, I dunno, that’d be weird, but why not?”
However, the Hollywood Reporter’s sources suggest that there’s interest in having Michael B. Jordan in the starring role. Jordan is an actor who’s played in movies like Chronicle (2012), the Fantastic Four (2015), and Creed (2015). He’s also set to play a part in Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther movie, which is currently slated for a February 2018 release.
Some fans of the series have already expressed delight at the possibility of a reboot:
https://twitter.com/statuses/841873424322568193
https://twitter.com/statuses/841873331120922624
https://twitter.com/statuses/841864309697347584
However, not everyone is as keen on the franchise being brought back to life:
https://twitter.com/statuses/841956434975825921
https://twitter.com/statuses/841956428747313153
https://twitter.com/statuses/841955387091914752
Related: Star Wars: The Last Jedi news
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Would you be keen to see the Matrix franchise rebooted? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
