A remake of The Matrix is in the works

The Wachowskis' sci-fi classic starring Keanu Reeves is getting a remake/reboot

Article by The Skinny | 15 Mar 2017

Get set to chow down on that red pill again, because 1999 cyberpunk sci-fi classic The Matrix is set to be rebooted. Sources over at The Hollywood Reporter last night revealed that Warner Bros are in the early stages of relaunching the series for the big screen. 

Keanu Reeves starred in the original film (and its two subsequent sequels) as Neo, a lowly computer programmer who comes to realise that the apparent reality around him is a fabrication, with most of the people left on the planet existing in pods as living batteries in an apocalyptic, pitiless world, and he is humanity’s one true hope of salvation.

Reeves has said before that he’d be open to reprising his role as Neo. However, he stipulated that he would only return to the world of The Matrix if Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who wrote and directed the original trilogy, were involved. "They would have to write it and direct it,” he told Yahoo Movies while promoting John Wick 2. “And then we’d see what the story is, but yeah, I dunno, that’d be weird, but why not?”

It looks like in that case we might not be seeing Reeves back in the role. The reports are that the Wachowskis are not involved at this stage, with the rather less exciting Zak Penn penciled in for screenwriting duties. Penn’s workmanlike CV includes writing and co-writing credits on a variety of projects from the 90s, including Last Action Hero, Men in Black, The Mask of Zorro, Behind Enemy Lines and, er, Inspector Gadget, while this millennium his work has mostly been in the comic book genre for films like X2 and The Avengers.

Not exactly promising, but some good news is that the effortlessly charismatic Michael B. Jordan, star of Creed and Fruitvale Station, has been suggested as star. Remind yourself how of unusual and groundbreaking The Matrix was in 1999 by taking a look at the trailer in the player below: