Keanu Reeves reveals his initial reaction to Lana Wachowski's The Matrix Resurrections pitch, which included a fair amount of disbelief. In just under two weeks, audiences will get to return to the Matrix for the first time since 2003's Revolutions. Billed largely as a continuation of the original trilogy, The Matrix Resurrections will see a handful of characters return, including Reeves' Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity. However, the new movie also offers some twists on what came before through new versions of past characters like Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Agent Smith (Jonathan Groff).
The Matrix Resurrections begins with Neo once again living under his Thomas A. Anderson identity in San Francisco. Despite the developments of Revolutions, the Matrix is once again flourishing, and Neo is trapped within it alongside Trinity, whom he doesn't recall meeting. However, with the help of some outside agents, Neo will once again learn the truth behind his apparent reality and embark on a new adventure. When The Matrix Resurrections and Reeves' return were first announced in 2019, fans were both excited and confused. After all, Neo died in Revolutions after freeing the humans, so how could he be back?
That confused feeling extended to Reeves as well. During a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show (via ComicBook.com), the actor recalled his first reaction to Wachowski reaching out about a potential Matrix return. Reeves said he was immediately interested, but was also quick to point out that he died in the last movie. Still, Wachowski won him over quickly. Reeves explained:
"I was at home, and I got a text from Lana Wachowski, the director and writer, and she was like, 'What do you think about doing another Matrix film?' And I went, 'Oh, that sounds amazing, but I'm dead.' And then she was like, 'Are you?' and I went 'Do tell." And she wrote a beautiful, beautiful script, a wonderful story, I think."
The circumstances behind Neo's, well, resurrection are still being kept tightly under wraps, but there have been plenty of theories circling the internet. From Neo being saved like code within the Matrix somehow to Reeves playing an alternate version of the character, fans have considered just about every idea. Based on Reeves' story, it sounds like Wachowski knew all along just how to bring Neo back. In fact, her question to Reeves - "Are you?" - seems to hint that the Neo in The Matrix 4 is the same one from the original trilogy, just revived somehow.
Audiences will get all the answers they need when The Matrix Resurrections arrives in theaters and on HBO Max later this month. Promotional efforts have been careful not to reveal too much about the plot or the characters, making this one of the most intriguing movies of the year. The original pitch for The Matrix Resurrections was enough to win Reeves over completely, so perhaps this is a case of a movie being well worth the wait. Hopefully, it will live up to all expectations.
Source: The Graham Norton Show (via ComicBook.com)
