A study claims there's a 50-50 chance everyone is currently living in a simulation, as seen in The Matrix movies. The franchise is one of cinema's most beloved, beginning with the first film in 1999. The series has been praised for its story and impressive action sequences, which were advanced for the time. Due to its success, The Matrix was followed up by The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which both came out in 2003. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss starred in all three films, which focus on their characters working together to free others from the Matrix.
After a nearly 20-year gap, a new installment in the franchise, The Matrix 4, will release December 2021. Reeves and Moss will reprise their roles of Neo and Trinity. They'll be joined by Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Daniel Bernhardt, also returning from the original films. The Matrix 4 began filming earlier this year but was one of many movies forced to pause production due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though many story details are unknown at this time, Reeves has called The Matrix 4 "a love story," which should only lead to more curiosity about the film's script.
Due to the upcoming sequel, there's been a renewed interest in the original trilogy. Perhaps partly because of the surprising events of this year, there's also been an increase in jokes about the possibility everything is a simulation. A recent study discussed in Scientific American (via IGN), takes it a step further, suggesting odds are 50-50 that's actually the case. The analysis comes from astronomer David Kipping, based on a 2003 paper by Nick Bostrom about the simulation argument. Kipping used Bayesian reasoning to come to his conclusion, with the fascinating add-on the odds would change more if a simulation was actually crafted with conscious beings in it. Kipping explained:
The day we invent that technology, it flips the odds from a little bit better than 50–50 that we are real to almost certainly we are not real, according to these calculations. It’d be a very strange celebration of our genius that day.
Kipping's analysis is interesting from both a science and entertainment perspective. The odds may seem surprising. However, The Matrix franchise has given an idea of what a simulation would look like, as have other movies and TV shows. Seeing the theory play out in fiction makes it easier to imagine in real life.
The study also makes one think about how the franchise will be updated for present-day in The Matrix 4. Star Neil Patrick Harris has said the movie's style will be different, though his co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has said the original films are represented as well, calling it "a really, really very intelligent blend of what we want and what we may not know that we want." Audiences will find out exactly what that is when the new The Matrix movie releases next year.
Source: Scientific American (via IGN)
