Firstly, somehow ‘The Matrix‘ is now just on 18 years old. Seriously.
The red pill/blue pill sci-fi masterpiece is now old enough to get into a pub by itself. Un-bloody-real.
Secondly, Hollywood‘s ever-present reboot cannon is now aiming squarely at the film series that not only helped establish Keanu Reeves as a bonafide megastar, but launched a swathe of philosophical and inventive technical effects that have been imitated and picked apart in the almost two-decades since.
Warner Bros is reportedly extremely keen to relaunch ‘The Matrix‘ as a feature film series in some form, with a new project based on the world created by the Wachowski siblings said to be in the early stages of development.
The film franchise was at one point being circled for some sort of TV adaptation, but that idea has been nixed in recent months in favour of extending the original film’s universe with additional full-length films.
WB head honchos are said to be quite interested in hooking the original Matrix trilogy onto an extended universe story series, much like the one being explored by ‘Star Wars‘ at present, with side-stories detached from the main narrative serving as jumping-off points for spinoff films.
Writer Zak Penn (who you might recognise as the scribe behind films like ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ ‘Behind Enemy Lines,’ ‘Last Action Hero,’ as well as co-creating the SyFy series ‘Alphas‘) is in talks to pen a treatment for the new project. Studio execs have apparently shown some interest in Michael B. Jordan for a role, though nothing is set in concrete at this extremely early stage.
What form a potential reboot of the series will take remains up in the air, but the potential to explore character back stories (like, for example, a young Morpheus) is quite obviously ripe.
The Wachowski siblings are not, at this stage, involved with the reboot project, but with fandom for the trilogy quite rabid, you’d expect WB to chase at least a blessing of any reboot from the original film’s writers and directors.
For what it’s worth, Keanu Reeves was recently asked about being involved with a potential Matrix reboot, and his response was 100% classic Keanu:
“They [the Wachowskis] would have to write it and direct it. And then we’d see what the story is, but yeah, I dunno, that’d be weird, but why not?”
“That’d be weird, but why not?” just about sums up every reboot pitch ever, TBH. The wisdom of Keanu strikes the bullseye once again.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Photo: The Matrix.
