Credit: The Matrix
The Matrix redefined the sci-fi action genre as we know it.
When the first film came out in 1999, critics and fans were stunned by the incredible fight scenes, jaw-dropping action, special effects, and original and unique story spearheading Neo journeying through the underworld known as well…The Matrix. 20 years later, fans and critics will agree that the first film was revolutionary; however, the follow-up sequels failed to recapture the magic of the original film. Still, the series officially wrapped in 2003 with The Matrix Revolutions, which didn’t exactly leave on good terms in the minds of audiences. The Matrix has a unique lore that could’ve been explored further with the right story, but unfortunately, The Wachowskis just couldn’t figure out how to expand the world in a compelling manner.
When a sequel was announced ten years later, with only Lana Wachowski returning, there was some concern amongst fans even though this was a big opportunity to see Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie Ann-Moss) once again on the big screen. However, one of the most glaring omissions of the sequel was that Hugo Weaving – who played Agent Smith in all three films – and Laurence Fishburne – who played Morpheus in the trilogy – didn’t return to the fourth installment. With Weaving, it all came down to scheduling conflicts as the actor was busy doing a stage play at the time. However, Fishburne’s absence remains a huge mystery.
Credit: The Matrix
Morpheus still plays a big role in Resurrections, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II replacing Fishburne as the new Morpheus. The problem is that the film never gives much of an explanation on why Fishburne’s Morpheus isn’t around, as the Oscar nominee could’ve easily retaken the iconic role. Fishburne addressed why he wasn’t in the film as he simply wasn’t asked. Lana has not spoken about why the actor wasn’t even invited to return to the franchise. Either way, The Matrix Resurrections was quite a divisive film. While its critic score on rotten tomatoes is better than Reloaded and Revolutions, most people fall into the camp of the film being terribly bad or decent enough. There were significant production problems, with at one point Lana thinking about canceling the movie altogether after it was shut down temporarily due to COVID-19.
It’s been nearly a year since The Matrix Resurrections, which bombed in its theatrical run. Granted, this came out during a time when COVID-19 was still a big factor, and HBO decided to kill most of their films in 2021 by doing a day-to-date release; however, Godzilla vs. Kong made $468.2 million worldwide, Dune made $401.8 million, and The Conjuring 3 made $206.4 million, and each of these movies dealt with the same release strategy as Resurrections. Add in the fact that Spider-Man: No Way Home garnered over $1 billion, then Resurrections only collecting $157.3 million was just not a good look for the franchise and brand. Fishburne spoke to Variety about the fourth installment and doesn’t feel that he missed out on being in the latest film:
Credit: The Matrix
“No, not really,” he responded after being asked if he thought he’d missed out by not being involved. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Fishburne said. “And it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. But I thought Carrie-Anne and Keanu really did their thing. Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
So, is there a future with more Matrix films? The franchise has garnered over $3 billion at the box office, so its clearly a lucrative property, but James McTeigue – The Matrix Resurrections producer – quickly addressed the possibility in an interview with Collider and made it clear that the studio isn’t planning any sequels, prequels, or spin-offs at the moment.
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