Production on Warner Bros. upcoming The Matrix 4 was among the final domestic sets to be halted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic’s spread. Cameras had been rolling on the film for just a few weeks when the stoppage officially came but the studio is now hoping to get things going once again in the middle of the summer. Variety reports that the cast of the film have signed “eight-week extensions” that keeps them on hold through July 6 when the studio seemingly hopes to resume production. It’s unclear if the film will restart at that time or perhaps even earlier.
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The Matrix 4 is being directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed the original Matrix trilogy. Original Matrix trilogy stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss are returning to their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively, leading a cast that includes newcomers Watchmen‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Iron Fist alum Jessica Henick, Mindhunter‘s Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, iZombie‘s Andrew Caldwell, and Neil Patrick Harris. Former Sense8 cast members Erรฉndira Ibarra, Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith and Toby Onwumere will also appear, reuniting with Wachowski after working with her on the Netflix series.
The film will also see John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch return to the franchise, having previously worked on the stunt team for the original trilogy. Stahelski told Collider in an interview last month that the pair were both involved with choreographing sequences for the sequel.
“They asked us to help out with the choreography and some of the physical training for the guys,” Stahelski said. “I’m helping out a little bit for a sequence, I think Dave’s helping out for a sequence. Lana’s come back with a lot of love to have a pseudo-family reunion, so that’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good to see a lot of the crew members again. We just finished doing a sequence in San Francisco before the pandemic started.”
Though he didn’t reveal anything specific about the movie, all we know for sure is that Wachowski co-wrote the script with novelist Aleksandar Hemon and Cloud Atlas writer
David Mitchell, Stahelski teased that fans of The Matrix franchise are going to love the new movie, saying it will be “coming back with a vengeance.”
The Matrix 4 is currently scheduled to open in theaters on May 21, 2021, but considering the extensive delays that have happened as a result of the coronavirus, a delay seems likely.
