The world of The Matrix is one that has been with us since 1999 and changed the way movies are made, stories are told, and how we look at the world, for better or worse (thinking of all the misogynists who have clung to this movie for whatever reason). But now, as we gear up for the release of The Matrix Resurrections, many want to know why Lana Wachowski decided to return to the franchise.
After Lana made the 1999 film, and subsequent sequels, with her sister Lilly Wachowski, it wouldn’t feel right to return to the world of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus without the Wachowskis leading the charge. And Warner Bros. seemed to know that, having asked both Lilly and Lana Wachowski about coming back year after year.
At a recent screenwriting panel, Lana Wachowski revealed that Warner Bros. came to them time and time again wanting a fourth movie in the franchise:
“Every year, Warner Bros. would ask us to make another one, and every year, they would drive truckloads of money up to our house and say, ‘You could have this!’ And we said, ‘No, no, no — not interested, not interested, not interested.’ It never was interesting to me as an idea of trying to continue it.”
But asking the Wachowskis to come back to the franchise wasn’t enough. If the story wasn’t there, then it wasn’t worth it just to make money. Luckily, it was a dream that brought on the return of Neo and Trinity. She went on to describe what inspired The Matrix Resurrections, saying,
My brain has always reached into my imagination. And one night, I was just crying and couldn’t sleep. Suddenly, my brain exploded this whole story and I couldn’t have my mom and dad. I couldn’t talk to my mom and yet, suddenly, I had Neo and Trinity — arguably the two most important characters in my life — and it was immediately comforting to have these two characters alive again.
I’m happy to have my parents back. When The Matrix came out in 1999, I was 7 and turning 8 later that year. I went with my whole family, but it quickly became something that was just for me and my older brother, and we’d see the new releases together. And being that young and watching these movies at that age, I just took to Neo and Trinity in a way that made me miss them all these years. The Matrix Revolutions came out in 2003, and we hadn’t had a new look at Keanu Reeves’ Neo or Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity since, until the upcoming movie’s recent trailer.
Having them back and returning us all to the characters we’ve loved and missed is, in a way, giving us that same feeling that Wachowski’s dream gave to her. Thank you, Lana Wachowski ,and I can’t wait to see Neo and Trinity back in action once more with The Matrix Resurrections.
(via Winter Is Coming, image: Warner Bros.)
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