Lilly Wachowski has said she’s “kinda done” with The Matrix, and suggested the recently announced The Matrix 5 may not move forward without the Wachowski’s blessing.
Warner Bros. announced The Matrix 5 in 2024, with The Martian and The Cabin in the Woods’ Drew Goddard on board to write and direct. If it goes ahead, The Matrix 5 will be the first The Matrix movie not to have either Lana or Lilly Wachowski in the directing chair, although Lana Wachowski was reportedly down to executive produce.
“Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25-years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” Warner Bros. Motion Pictures President of Production Jesse Ehrman said in a statement issued two years ago. “The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making this new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis’ spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”
Fast forward to now, and Lilly Wachowski has poured cold water on excitement around The Matrix 5. “Warner Bros., they wanna make another thing,” she said in an interview on KCRW’s The Business, as reported by Variety. “They’re always gonna wanna make another thing. Personally, I don’t wanna play in that sandbox anymore. I’m kinda done.”
Wachowski went on to say that Goddard wants the Wachowski’s blessing before moving forward with The Matrix 5, which in turn has created a “complicated situation.”
“But there may be a thing that’s happening with Drew Goddard, and he doesn’t wanna go forward unless he gets our blessing,” she said. “And so, it becomes this complicated situation where, maybe we’re gonna stick our noses in a tiny bit and see how we feel, and if we wanna pass on our blessing to Drew or not. So, it could be something that’s coming down the road, but it’s still unknown.”
The groundbreaking The Matrix exploded onto the scene in March 1999, and was followed by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003, then The Matrix Revolutions in 2003. Nearly 20 years later, The Matrix Resurrections hit theaters in 2021. Lana Wachowski directed without Lilly, but Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprised their iconic roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively.
The Matrix Resurrections saw mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office, grossing $157 million globally on a reported budget of $190 million. It’s worth noting that it debuted while COVID-19 lockdowns were still affecting movie theaters, and it was one of the films to be released both in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day.
Nothing is known about The Matrix 5 other than Warner Bros. has announced it. If it does get made, will Reeves and Moss return once again? Based on Lilly Wachowski’s comments, it may be some time before we find out.
Wesley Yin-Poole
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. He’s obsessed with fighting games, sports games and first-person shooters. His favourite game of all time is Street Fighter 2.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
