Announced in September 2021, Matrix Resurrections will debut in Italian cinemas on January 1, 2022, marking the fourth instalment in the franchise and the first sequel to arrive since The Matrix: Revolutions in 2003, nineteen years earlier.
Lana Wachowski directs the film as sole director and co-writer, having previously worked on the original trilogy alongside her sister Lilly, who chose not to return for this project. The cast includes Keanu Reeves reprising his role as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, alongside returning characters including Niobe, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, and the Merovingian, played by Lambert Wilson. Laurence Fishburne, who portrayed Morpheus in the original trilogy, does not return.
Wachowski on Reeves’s response
Speaking at the Berlin International Literature Festival, Wachowski revealed Reeves’s reaction upon viewing the finished film, stating he was “truly shaken” by it. She also described the actor as possessing “casual brilliance.” According to Reeves after screening the film, the original Matrix was able to analyse and predict problems emerging in virtual life over the following twenty years, and Matrix Resurrections now performs the same function for the next two decades.
Legacy and continuation
When The Matrix released in 1999, it captivated audiences and became embedded in cultural consciousness through action sequences unlike anything previously seen on screen, while offering symbolic nuance and an allegorical narrative open to multiple interpretations, with many readings associating the film with the story of Jesus. With its title Resurrections, the new film appears to continue this tradition of layering profound subtext while maintaining focus on future-oriented themes.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Lilly Wachowski not direct Matrix Resurrections?
Lilly Wachowski chose not to return to direct the fourth film, leaving Lana Wachowski as the sole director and co-writer.
Which original cast members return?
Keanu Reeves returns as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss returns as Trinity, with Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson reprising their roles as Niobe and the Merovingian respectively, though Laurence Fishburne does not return as Morpheus.
When does Matrix Resurrections release in Italy?
The film releases in Italian cinemas on January 1, 2022.
