Why we re-entered the Matrix

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-anne Moss talk exclusively to Empire about signing on to Ôthe Matrix 4’

TRINITY IS DEAD. Neo too, it seems, his body last seen being carried away by machines. Yet, almost 20 years after The Matrix Revolutions appeared to bring their stories to a fairly definitive end, the two of them are back for ‘The Matrix 4’. The whys and the hows and the wherefores of Neo and Trinity’s resurrection won’t be revealed for a while yet — 21 May next year, pandemic notwithstanding — but Keanu Reeves and Carrie-anne Moss have both shared with Empire their thoughts on reuniting with writer-director Lana Wachowski for some more quality bullet time.

“I never thought that it would happen,” says Moss, somewhat justifiably. “It was never on my radar at all. So then, when it was brought to me in the way that it was brought to me, with incredible depth and all of the integrity and artistry that you could imagine, I was like, ‘This is a gift.’ It was just very exciting.”

With Laurence Fishburne seemingly not returning as Morpheus, and Lilly Wachowski also absent, Reeves, Moss and Lana Wachowski are the anchors to the original trilogy. And it seems that it was the involvement of the Wachowski, as opposed to the Wachowskis, that persuaded Reeves to return. “Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me,” he says. “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.”

For a short while, that 21 May date would have seen a clash of the Keanus, with John Wick: Chapter 4 due to open on the same day. “That was an internet moment,” laughs Reeves.

“I don’t know if that was a real moment.” But that’s no longer the case, with the Wick fourquel — which hasn’t started filming yet — moving back to 2022. The coronavirus also shut down production on ‘The Matrix 4’ (almost certainly not its official name), but Warner Bros. has stayed steadfast to that May release, and Reeves is chomping at the bit. “We’ve shot some footage already,” says the star. “I’m looking forward to going back to work.” That is the sound of inevitability.

ÔTHE MATRIX 4’ IS IN CINEMAS FROM 21 MAY 2021