The Matrix was a groundbreaking moment in cinematic history when it hit theaters at the turn of the century. Written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the Matrix trilogy forever altered the visual language of action movies thanks to its cutting-edge style and effects, and has permanently ingrained itself within popular culture with its philosophical ideas and imagery.
Since the original story ended in 2003 with The Matrix Revolutions, the Wachowskis’ sci-fi franchise has lived on in the form of animation, comics, video games and other media. There’s been a surprising amount of restraint when it comes to adding any new movies to the canon. Only one sequel, Lana Wachowski’s 2021 solo-effort The Matrix Resurrections, has been released in the decades since.
That legacy sequel acted as both a fascinating epilogue to the events of the original films and a meta-commentary on the cultural impact of The Matrix itself, proving that the series could still find ways to blow minds in new ways. Even so, it’s been hard to say where exactly the story and its characters could go from here - but audiences are about to find out.
A new, fifth Matrix film is currently in development at Warner Bros. with a fresh filmmaking vision at the helm. For the first time, neither of the Wachowskis will be directing the upcoming entry for the franchise. Instead, Drew Goddard will be taking over writing and directing duties after successfully pitching his own idea to the studio, with Lana Wachowski executive producing.
Goddard is known for his work on films like The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale, The Martian and more; a decent big-budget track record for someone about to take on such a distinct and iconic franchise. While little is known about what Goddard’s Matrix movie will actually be about (or which characters may be returning), fans have already been thrown into a flurry of speculation.
Here’s hoping that Goddard will at least bring back the original films’ awesome and heavy soundtracks, albeit updated for a more modern sound. Most fans can recall the first movie’s famous club scene involving a remix of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula”, but the soundtracks boasted a strong mix of 90s / early 2000s heaters from Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, P.O.D., The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, Deftones, Rammstein, and others.
What’re you hoping to see from a brand new Matrix movie? What do you think of Goddard taking over for the Wachowskis? And most importantly, who do you most want to hear on a new soundtrack?
