The first footage from The Matrix: Resurrections answers several lingering questions about the sequel, while also keeping the action movie's larger details hidden. The Matrix 4 has remained the most mysterious blockbuster film release of 2021, with much of its story still under wraps, just a few months before it hits theaters. A full trailer also has yet to appear to be released, but thanks to footage revealed at CinemaCon, some of the mystique surrounding the film is beginning to dissipate.

The original The Matrix debuted in theaters in 1999, and changed the course of cinema practically overnight. Its unique blend of high-concept sci-fi, anime aesthetics, Hong Kong-influenced martial arts, and fresh filmmaking techniques like slow-motion and "bullet time" helped redefine what an action film could be. Two sequels followed, with The Matrix Revolutions seemingly capping the franchise as a trilogy and allowing its creators, the Wachowski siblings, to continue pushing the boundaries of film with other projects.

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When it was announced that a fourth installment in the Matrix series was in development, audiences grew curious about how exactly a follow-up to Revolutions could work. The 2003 finale to the trilogy ended with Neo sacrificing his life to defeat the corrupted Smith program, fulfilling a bargain with the world-ruling machines that saw them promise to leave the human city of Zion alone and, over time, free the human minds trapped in the Matrix. It was a concrete and hopeful ending, and the announcement of a fourth film starring a returning Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity (who also dies in Revolutions) was baffling to many longtime Matrix viewers. Not even the full title of the film was known until recently, and the confirmation of the Resurrections moniker was only one question about The Matrix 4 answered by the CinemaCon footage. Here's a look at every answer the sneak peek revealed.

What Is The Matrix 4's Title?

Neo Matrix Resurrections

Probably the biggest question that was answered at CinemaCon was what exactly the title for the film was going to be. Up until the convention footage was shown, the film was simply being called The Matrix 4 by most outlets. However, multiple test screenings of the film revealed that the working title was, indeed, The Matrix: Resurrections, and many viewers speculated that this title wasn't simply a placeholder. The finale of the CinemaCon teaser fully displayed the "Resurrections" title, finally giving the film an official name.

Is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Really Morpheus?

The Matrix 4 Young Morpheus

One of the largest curiosities surrounding The Matrix: Resurrections has to do with the character of Morpheus, played in the original trilogy by Laurence Fishburne. Despite surviving through the events of Revolutions, Fishburne wasn't cast in Resurrections, and the actor has maintained that he will not be appearing as Morpheus in the film. This has led to speculation that actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be inheriting the role, possibly playing a younger version of the franchise's iconic hero.

Although not officially confirmed, this rumor appears to have been proven true by the CinemaCon footage. Audiences at the con described Abdul-Mateen II's character as being nearly identical to Morpheus, right down to the trench coat and iconic black glasses. While the mechanics of Morpheus' return haven't been hinted at, and the exact reasoning for this recast is unknown, it seems like a safe bet that Abdul-Mateen II will indeed be playing a new version of the agent-fighting Morpheus in the Matrix sequel.

Related: Every Keanu Reeves Sci-Fi Movie Ranked Worst to Best

How Are Neo & Trinity Alive?

Neo and Trinity in The Matrix

Another huge source of speculation surrounding the fourth Matrix film is the return of Neo and Trinity, who both died during the events of the third movie. While this big question remains mostly unanswered, the new footage includes one interesting revelation: neither Neo nor Trinity seem to remember who they are, that they've met, or that they live within a simulation. The teaser included a scene of the two meeting and shaking hands in a coffee shop, during which time a moment deja vu appears to strike them. It seems obvious that the two lovers — or at least copies of their minds — have somehow been brought back within the Matrix, perhaps via backups of their personalities stored within the machine mainframe. It's also been speculated that Trinity isn't actually real in the film, seeing as how her physical body was beyond repair in Revolutions.

Who Is Controlling The Matrix Now?

During the events of the original Matrix trilogy, the malevolent and calculating Architect was in charge of the virtual world. The hyper-intelligent A.I. had been responsible for designing and maintaining six different versions of the Matrix over the centuries, with the first being a utopia that its imprisoned human minds had rejected. At the end of The Matrix Revolutions, the Architect implies that every human mind would eventually be freed from his power, but with the Matrix obviously still in existence in the fourth film, it appears as though this mass freeing never came to pass. With the Architect's actor, Helmut Bakaitis, not confirmed to make an appearance, the fact that the simulation is still around might imply that a new program has assumed control of the world. Perhaps this new Matrix program deleted the Architect and refused to unplug the human prisoners, instead, resetting the program to a neutral state. This might explain why Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus are going through many of the same events from the first film again, including, meeting, fighting, training, and taking the red pill.

Is There More To Neil Patrick Harris' Character?

Red Pill or Blue Pill? in The Matrix

One new actor to join the Matrix franchise is Neil Patrick Harris, whose character has remained mysterious since his casting was announced. In the CinemaCon footage, Harris is seen acting as a doctor (or perhaps therapist) to a man named Thomas, who is revealed to be Neo. Harris' character prescribes blue pills to Thomas, seemingly confirming his status as the villain of The Matrix 4. As seen in the first Matrix film, consuming blue pills is one way that the machines maintain dominance over humans; by depriving them of memories and keeping them under control, the Matrix's agents can keep their secrets while simultaneously subjugating their living power supply. The footage clearly hints at Neil Patrick Harris' character being part of this conspiracy; perhaps he is an agent like Smith was in the first three films. Harris could even potentially be the all-powerful program that usurped the Architect, making his interest in keeping Neo powerless and imprisoned more understandable and positioning him as a force to be reckoned with in The Matrix Resurrections.

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