Warner Bros./Summit Entertainment On May 21, 2021, it’ll be Reeves vs Reeves at the box office: John Wick 4 and Matrix 4 are heading to cinemas on the same weekend.
After Neo (Keanu Reeves) fulfilled the prophecy of ‘The One’ in The Matrix Revolutions, it’s been 20 years since audiences delved into the rabbit hole.
But with the recent Keanussance, this feels like the titanic showdown we’ve been destined to reach: the actor’s two biggest series, with new sequels on the same day.
Warner Bros. announced the news among a slate of announcements about their movies and release dates coming up.
Summit Entertainment John Wick 4 will catch up with the titular assassin after the shocking climax of the threequel, seeing him team up with Matrix alumnus Laurence Fishburne to take on the shady bigwigs controlling the Continental.
As for the fourth Matrix entry, little is known plot-wise (there’s still no official title, although I’d bet on The Matrix Reborn).
Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity respectively, but this isn’t an old-timer nostalgia trip. There’s a whole roster of new faces, including: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen, Aquaman); Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter) and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother).
PAAbdul-Mateen recently told Entertainment Weekly:
It’s a very exciting, relevant script that I’m honoured to be a part of.
The original Matrix hit cinemas in 1999, completely revolutionising (sorry) blockbuster cinema. With a winning mix of ground-breaking special effects and a story deep in lore, its influence is still heavily felt today.
While the sequels proved to be less refined, it’s still a series held in high regard for its balls-to-the-wall ambition (the two sequels were released in the same year).
Warner Bros. The project was announced in August this year, with Warner Bros. Picture Group’s chairperson Toby Emmerich confirming Lana (one half of ‘The Wachowskis’ alongside Lilly) would be co-writing and directing.
Emmerich told The Hollywood Reporter:
Lana is a true visionary – a singular and original creative filmmaker – and we are thrilled that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter in The Matrix universe.
The film, with the script written by Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell with Grant Hill on producing duties, is expected to begin production sometime in 2020.
Warner Bros.Lana said:
Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.
John Wick 4 and Matrix 4 will hit cinemas on May 21, 2021.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.