The Matrix 4 and John Wick 4 Were Both Supposed to Open This Weekend

There have been many movie delays over the past year due to the pandemic, which means several weekends have come and gone that were previously set to feature huge releases. This weekend, starting on May 21st, was supposed to be especially big as it was the original release date for both The Matrix 4 and John Wick: Chapter 4. Many people took to social media yesterday to honor Keanu Reeves on what was supposed to be his big weekend.

Back in December of 2019, just a few months before everything shut down, fans of Reeves were shocked to learn that both movies would be hitting the big screen at the same time. This rare phenomenon felt like a big deal and had a whole lot of fans gearing up for what would have surely been an epic double feature. However, John Wick 4 hasn’t even begun filming thanks to COVID-19. Ian McShane told Collider back in January that the movie should begin filming this year, and its now set to be released next May.

As for The Matrix 4, the film is set to debut in 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max. Lana Wachowski returned to direct and co-write the fourth entry in the series. After facing delays due to the coronavirus, production on The Matrix 4 wrapped in November 2020.

In addition to Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss, the Matrix 4 cast includes additional returning stars such as Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson. Newcomers include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, and Ellen Hollman. Recently, Harris spoke with Variety about Wachowski’s latest approach to the franchise.

“It didn’t feel large because it felt like she was in her sweet spot, which was filming on the fly, filming using natural light,” Harris said. “Sometimes you’d sit around for an hour waiting for the clouds to clear, and then you’d quickly film. You’d film pages at a time in 30 minutes and then be done… You would think that a giant movie would be 100% storyboarded, animatics, and we’d be checking off shots. I think she lived that before three times over, and I would suspect that she wants to do things her own way now. It wasn’t often that you felt that you were doing something gigantic because she made it feel very intimate.”

Are you bummed John Wick 4 and The Matrix 4 are no longer being released on the same day? Are you more excited for one than the other? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Matrix 4 is currently scheduled to be released on December 22nd. John Wick: Chapter 4 is now expected to be released on May 27, 2022.