A fifth ‘Matrix’ movie is in the works and, no, this is not a simulation

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Red pill or blue pill, anyone?

The beloved “Matrix” movie franchise is expanding with an upcoming fifth installment, with the film’s original co-writer and co-director Lana Wachowski leading the charge as executive producer.

According to a press release from the film’s studio Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group sent on Wednesday, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard will write and direct the film alongside his producing partner Sarah Esberg. (Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group is a subsidiary of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures President of Production, said in a statement on Wednesday that Goddard “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 (Wachowski) began over 25-years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters.”

Details on the plot and casting, including whether “Matrix” franchise star Keanu Reeves will return as his iconic character Neo, have not yet been released.

A representative for Reeves did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about the new project.

Goddard made his directorial debut with 2011’s lauded horror movie “The Cabin in the Woods,” and went on to write and executive produce “The Martian” in 2015, earning an Oscar nod for best adapted screenplay in the process.

“The Matrix” premiered in 1999 and stars Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss. The dystopian sci-fi epic follows Neo (Reeves), a computer hacker who is summoned to join a cyber-intelligence rebellion after discovering that humanity is trapped inside a simulated reality known as the Matrix.

The now-classic first film raked in over $467 million at the time and became one of the year’s most profitable theatrical releases. It went on to win four Academy Awards and spawned three sequels, including “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” in 2003, and “The Matrix Resurrections” in 2021.

Throughout the franchise’s 25-year lifespan, it has earned just under $2 billion globally, according to the studio.

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