Warner Bros. Announces New ‘Matrix’ Sequel Without Original Series’ Directors

Just a few days after the original Matrix celebrated its 25th anniversary on March 31, Warner Bros. announced production on a new sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Somewhat surprisingly, the series’ fifth installment is moving forward without siblings Lana or Lilly Wachowski. The two directors created the franchise, writing and directing the first Matrix and its two immediate sequels—2003’s Reloaded and Revolutions—in tandem. Lana Wachowski was the sole director of 2021’s late-era sequel, Matrix Resurrections.

Drew Goddard, screenwriter of The Martian and director of Cabin in the Woods, apparently approached Warner Bros. with a fresh start for the franchise.

“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,” Jesse Ehrman, the president of production at Warner Bros., said in a statement. “The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making his new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”

Lana Wachowski will still serve as a producer on Goddard’s new installment. At this time, Lilly Wachowski is remaining uninvolved in the project, as she was on Resurrections.

When that film was released in 2021, Lilly revealed at a virtual panel for the Television Critics Association Summer Tour (via Star Observer) that she chose not to return to the franchise due in part to the grief she was experiencing after the death of her and Lana’s parents.

Labeling the decision not to return “a tough one,” Lilly went on to explain: “[Lana] had come up with this idea for another Matrix movie, and we had this talk, and it was actually—we started talking about it in between [our] dad dying and [our] mom dying, which was like five weeks apart,” she said. “There was something about the idea of going backward and being a part of something that I had done before that was expressly unappealing.”

Each of the Matrix sequels dropped off precipitously at the box office. Reloaded grossed $739 million worldwide, a huge jump from the first movie’s $463M global cume. Revolutions came in far below expectations, with $427M worldwide. The 2021 sequel disappointed significantly, accruing just $157M worldwide, but that was partially due to its pandemic-era day-and-date release on Max (then HBO Max.)

Despite the series’ rocky finances, Goddard and Warner Bros. are excited to adapt The Matrix for a new generation. For now, though, everyone is keeping mum about the film’s details. No plot description was divulged in the initial announcement, nor were any casting tidbits. It’s unclear if Goddard’s film will continue with the franchise’s main characters, or jettison them in favor of a fresh cast and storyline.

“It is not hyperbole to say The Matrix films changed both cinema and my life,” Goddard said in a statement. “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.”

Goddard’s Matrix installment doesn’t yet have a title or a release date, and it’s unclear when exactly it will enter production.