Warner Bros. reportedly considered creating The Matrix Resurrections without Lana Wachowski at the helm. Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski rose to prominence as the masterminds behind the original 1999 The Matrix. The pair went on to helm the following two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
The sister’s other titles include Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending. The pair began to work more independently following their Netflix series Sense8, which concluded on the streaming platform in 2018. Lana Wachowski served as the sole director and co-writer of the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise, which was released on December 22. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss returned to star in the new picture and were joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jonathan Groff.
In an interview with Collider, The Matrix Resurrections producer James McTeigue admitted that Warner Bros. considered assigning a different director to the new film. McTeigue, who has worked with the Wachowski’s on numerous projects, including the previous Matrix films, said that the “money making capability” of the Matrix 4 meant there was “always talk.” He said that Warner Bros. was quick to accept when Lana Wachowski ultimately expressed her interest in the project, making it clear that Warner Bros. was eager to make the film with the original director.
“Look. I think when you’ve had a franchise with that much potential money making capability, there’s always talk. It’s in the same way that the Marvel universe repeats and turns in on itself, or you have Spider-Man, or you have Iron Man, or Thor. There’s always potential to update those movies just because of the possibility of making the money and telling new stories. I shouldn’t say it’s just a purely fiscal thought.
“But yeah, look, there was versions out there, but they hadn’t landed on the right version. So when Lana eventually came back around and said, “Look. I’m interested in making another movie,” of course, they went with the filmmaker who was the genesis of the Matrix.”
Despite the somewhat lackluster reception of The Matrix Resurrections, Warner Bros. has expressed its desire to continue backing Lana Wachowski. The studio’s CEO, Ann Sarnoff, has already confirmed that the company would be very interested in producing The Matrix 5 if Lana Wachowski wished to return to the helm. Warner Bros’ confidence in the director is further supported by the cast of Matrix Resurrections, with both Groff and Henwick backing the 56-year-old filmmaker’s directing style. While reviews of the latest sequel were mixed at best, The Matrix Resurrections could have performed even worse had Warner Bros. made a sequel without the original director.
With a follow-up Matrix sequel neither confirmed nor denied by Warner Bros, it’s possible that Lana Wachowski could return for another installment to the iconic sci-fi franchise. Though The Matrix Resurrections may have underperformed at the box office, raking in the lowest domestic weekend gross of the franchise at just $12 million, the film universe offers a reliable source of income with a dedicated fan base for future installments. Lana Wachowski has said The Matrix Resurrections isn’t the start of a new trilogy; however, The Matrix Revolutions was thought to be the end of the franchise for over a decade. It seems likely that regardless of the critical success of The Matrix Resurrections, Warner Bros. will give serious consideration to another sequel.
