Director Lana Wachowski has explained the significance of the song 'White Rabbit' that was used in the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections. Set to be the fourth film in the Matrix series, Resurrections sees Keanu Reeves' Neo once again living in the simulated reality of the Matrix, seemingly suffering from amnesia but experiencing flashbacks to the events of the previous films. He will eventually be reunited with Carrie Anne Moss' Trinity, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's younger Morpheus, who is looking to bring the pair back to reality.
After years of rumor and speculation of a fourth film in the Matrix series being made, despite the Wachowski sisters moving onto other projects including Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, the film was revealed to be in development in 2019. The first trailer for The Matrix 4 released on September 9, and immediately set the internet abuzz with fans scouring the trailer for the tiniest hints and details. One of the more notable aspects of the trailer were the recurrent references to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, with Jessica Henwick's character sporting a White Rabbit tattoo and a copy of the novel being shown on a desk. Most prominently, Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit', written by singer Grace Slick, which was heavily influenced by Carroll's work as well, is featured prominently in the video.
Wachowski has now explained why she chose to use 'White Rabbit' for the trailer. Speaking at the International Literature Festival Berlin as part of a panel titled The Art of Screenwriting, Wachowski was asked about the use of the song in the trailer and the other references to Alice in Wonderland. The director said that the reason for the use of song is much deeper than just a mere reference, and pointed out that Jefferson Airplane was created to be house band for a club called The Matrix. Read Wachowski's full statement below:
"It goes much deeper than that. The actual Grace Slick performed White Rabbit for this club that was open. Jefferson [Airplane] was basically created to be the house band of this club. And that club was called Matrix. Are we living in a simulation? I think it's pretty obvious!"
Wachowski's statement is certainly an interesting piece of trivia and it's fun that she looped the reference back around to acknowledge the history of the legendary band. The song certainly fits with the nature of the film, or at least what has been presented of it so far, with Neo being shown following Henwick's character through a portal similar to the White Rabbit leading Alice down the rabbit-hole. Likewise, the overt references to pills in the song tie into one of the most enduring aspects of the series - the red and blue pills that either awaken an individual to the reality of the Matrix or wipe their memory. The fact that the opening lyrics - "one pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small" - plays at the moment Neo takes several blue pills suggests that he is being suppressed by an external force by way of his medication.
Who exactly this external force is, or to what end they are keeping Neo trapped in the new Matrix, remains to be seen. However, Wachowski's meticulous filmmaking undoubtedly means that there will plenty more calculated references in the final film for fans to pour over. They won't have too long to wait either as The Matrix: Resurrection releases on December 22n
Source: International Literature Festival Berlin
