The day wouldn’t be complete without yet another new addition to the cast of the upcoming fourth Matrix movie. Instead of a newcomer to the franchise though, apparently a character from the original sequels is gearing up for a return. Allo Cine reports that actor Lambert Wilson, who appeared in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, says he is in negotiations to return. If you don’t recall who Wilson played in the sequels, he took on the role of The Merovingian aka The Frenchman, one of the most peculiar additions to the sequels.
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Introduced in The Matrix Reloaded as one of the oldest programs in The Matrix, the Merovingian described himself as a “”trafficker of information” to Neo. He operated in the system with a mob-like mentality, smuggling programs in and out of the system at will. He also lead a gang the was made up of programs from the early versions of the system that were modeled by the machines after monsters of human legend, employing personal bodyguards that were literal werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. The sequels were incredibly ambitious in that regard.
Should Wilson actually return as his character it would bring up a lot of interesting possibilities for the fourth movie. Wilson won’t be the only one returning for the sequel as Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss will also reprise their roles from the original trilogy as Neo and Trinity. Should the three of them all share scenes, The Merovingian will no doubt remember them and their multiple exchanges held at gunpoint. It’s unclear how this new film will fit into the continuity of the older movies though so anything is possible at this point.
Other cast members that have joined the untitled fourth Matrix movie include franchise newcomers like Watchmen‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Iron Fist alum Jessica Henick, Mindhunter‘s Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sense8 stars Eréndira Ibarra, Max Riemelt, and Toby Onwumere.
Co-director of the original films Lana Wachowski will direct the new sequel which she co-wrote with frequent collaborators David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. Production is scheduled to begin in February of this year, primarily shooting in Chicago under the working title of “Project Ice Cream.”
Warner Bros. has the Untitled Matrix Film currently scheduled for release on May 21, 2021. The film is also scheduled to open against another major Keanu Reeves movie, John Wick: Chapter 4. In the end it remains to be seen if this Reeves double feature will happen at all, but we can all dream.
(H/T SlashFilm)
