The Matrix 4 won't be released until Spring 2022 thanks to a slew of release date changes made by Warner Bros. Hollywood, like most of the world, is still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic that put a halt to productions worldwide. Additionally, movie theaters, like most businesses, are still closed as part of the global effort to slow the virus' spread.
Lana Wachowski is set to direct the film, which is said to an absolutely crazy follow-up to the original trilogy. In addition to directing, Wachowski will produce and co-write the screenplay for The Matrix 4, alongside Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. Plot details are still kept tightly under wraps, but original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise their roles of Neo and Trinity. Production on the film is expected to resume in July 2020, so it looks like Wachowski will get back some of the time she lost during the shutdown.
Warner Bros released an onslaught of changes to its release calendar, and The Matrix 4 appears to have been pushed back nearly a full year. Originally slated to hit theaters in May 2021, the new release date for the film is April 1, 2022.
In addition to the returning cast, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II joins The Matrix 4 in a mysterious role that some have claimed will be a younger version of Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus. The Matrix 4, also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ellen Hollman, Toby Onwumere, and Brian J. Smith. In addition to Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, who played Agent Smith in the original trilogy, has announced he won't be returning. The film is expected to address the return of Neo and Trinity, as well as the ending of the original trilogy, which stated anyone still plugged into the Matrix would be set free.
The Matrix 4's new release date puts it in theaters only a week after Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters, so competition could be fierce at the box office. That said, excitement for the film's release is palpable amongst fans. Still, if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ends up being a massive hit for Marvel, it could hurt The Matrix 4 in theaters. Of course, that goes both ways, and The Matrix 4 could eat into a potentially successful two week run for Doctor Strange.
Source: Warner Bros