Matrix 4 Director Reveals Keanu Reeves Reaction to Watching the Sequel

Lana Wachowski, the director of the upcoming sequel, The Matrix Resurrections, recently talked about how Keanu Reeves reacted after seeing the upcoming installment. The Matrix Resurrections is the fourth film in The Matrix franchise and the first sequel since 2003’s The Matrix: Revolutions. Resurrections sees the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity and other characters from previous films like Jada Pinkett Smith’s Niobe and Lambert Wilson’s Merovingian. However, Laurence Fishburne, who portrayed Morpheus throughout the original trilogy, is not returning. The trailer for Resurrections seems to confirm that the film will feature a younger Morpheus played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Lana Wachowski co-wrote and co-directed the first three films of the franchise with her sister, Lilly Wachowski. Unfortunately, Lilly chose not to return for The Matrix: Resurrections, but Lana co-wrote the script and was behind the camera as the sole director this time around. Even after the release of the trailer, the plot of the fourth Matrix film is still unknown. The trailer features an older Neo back in the Matrix and seemingly suffering from amnesia as he reconnects with Trinity. However, they don’t really recognize each other beyond feeling a connection. The trailer is also full of imagery and action audiences would expect, and while fans may not know what the story is, the director is happy to confirm that Keanu Reeves was deeply affected after seeing the finished film.

While speaking on a panel for the Berlin International Literature Festival, Lana Wachowski was asked about how perceptions have changed. To answer the question, she revealed Reeves’ reaction to seeing the finished version of The Matrix Resurrections, saying, “he really was blown away by it.” However, the deeper answer she was pulling came from what she referred to as Reeves’ “casual brilliance.” After seeing the film, Reeves said the original Matrix was able to see the coming problems of virtual life over the next 20 years, and now, The Matrix Resurrections is able to do the same for the next 20 years. Check out Wachowski’s comments on Reeves’ reaction below:

“We showed the film to Keanu, and he really was blown away by it, and he said something that was typically Keanu, where it’s incredibly insightful. And he’s just sort of sitting there, and you don’t expect some incredible revelation to come out of him at that moment, but he-like casual brilliance just kind of rolls off of Keanu, and he was just sitting there, and he goes, ‘Twenty years ago you told a story in which you described the coming twenty years and the problems of the nature of digital, virtual life and how it was going to impact us and how we think about it, and gave us a frame to be able to think about it and talk about it. And you took the same character and the same stories and the same stuff, and somehow you made it about the next twenty years.’ And he was like, ‘How did you do that?’”

Wachowski left Reeves’ final question lingering, and though it felt like the moderator was looking for further elaboration, she was clearly not going to reveal how the new movie pulls it off. With the plot being kept under wraps, audiences may not know the specifics, but it’s clear that The Matrix Resurrections has found a way to adapt the material for modern audiences. The first Matrix film was revolutionary upon its release, not just for its action sequences but also for how it incorporated technology and its future implications. Given Reeves’ comments, The Matrix Resurrections looks to do the same while using our current state of technology as a jumping-off point.

When The Matrix was released in 1999, it blew audiences away while cementing itself as part of the cultural zeitgeist. It was able to offer up action sequences unlike anything audiences had ever seen before, but the film also offered symbolic undertones as an allegorical story that could be interpreted through multiple lenses, with many pointing toward the story of Jesus. With a title like Resurrections, the newest film looks to continue the trend of adding deep subtext with an eye toward the future, which is furthered by Reeves’ comments about the same characters and trappings being utilized for the franchise’s new lease on life. More details on the film are likely to come out as the movie’s release draws near, and audiences can catch The Matrix Resurrections when it releases in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.

Source: Berlin International Literature Festival

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Timothy McClelland
(235 Articles Published)

Tim McClelland is a TV/Movie News Writer for Screen Rant, and his screenplays have accrued more than 25 awards and selections in competition. He got his start when his short biography of Augusten Burroughs was published in 2008, and his career has seen him write video game walkthroughs, web content, and interactive fiction for mobile platforms. Tim resides in Durham, NC, with a rabid passion for film, TV, video games, and comics.

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