MOVIE NEWS – “The Matrix: Resurrections” would have been made without Lana Wachowski if Lana hadn’t volunteered to direct.

If you’ve seen The Matrix: Resurrections, you may remember a scene in which Smith’s character (played by Jonathan Groff) talks about Warner Bros. possibly leaving Thomas Anderson, aka Neo (aka figuratively Lana and Lilly Wachowski (the creators of the Matrix franchise) to direct another Matrix movie.

“Our beloved parent company Warner Brothers has decided to make a sequel to the Matrix trilogy – with or without us.”

Well, it turns out that this isn’t just a funny quip. In a recent interview with Collider, The Matrix: Resurrections producer James McTeigue admitted that WB did plan to hire a different director. McTeigue has worked on all of the Matrix films, and said that the “money-making potential” of the fourth Matrix film meant that a sequel was “always in the cards”. But when Lana Wachowski jumped at the chance to direct, the studio quickly said yes, it just made sense to keep the original director on board.

“Look, I think when you’re talking about a franchise with that kind of potential to make money, it’s always the same story. In the same way that the Marvel universe repeats itself and turns in on itself, or there’s Spider-Man, or there’s Iron Man, or there’s Thor,” McTeigue said. “There’s always the opportunity to update these movies, if only for the money-making potential and the opportunity to tell new stories. I can’t say it’s purely a financial consideration. But yes, really, there have been versions, but they haven’t landed on the right version yet. So when Lana finally came back and said, ‘Look. I want to do another movie,’ of course they chose the filmmaker who gave birth to The Matrix.”

Since The Matrix: Resurrections’ theatrical release and its debut on HBO Max, critical and fan reception has been mixed. Despite this, WB wants to continue the franchise with a fifth film and would like to see Lana Wachowski return, as confirmed by studio CEO Ann Sarnoff.

The Matrix: Resurrections stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff, read our review here.

Source : Deadline