Warner Brothers Had Plans To Assign Different Director To Matrix Resurrections

If you’ve seen The Matrix Resurrection, you may recall a moment in which Jonathan Groff’s character Smith pokes fun at Warner Bros. for perhaps leaving Lana and Lilly Wachowski (the franchise’s creators) alone to helm another Matrix picture. That, it turns out, isn’t simply an exaggeration.

Resurrections producer James McTeigue admitted in a recent interview with Collider that Warner Bros had planned to appoint a different director. McTeigue has worked on all of the Matrix films and noted that a fourth Matrix film’s “money-making capabilities” meant there was “always chatter.” Then Lana Wachowski stepped in to stop them from giving her franchise to someone else.

“Look. I think when you’ve had a franchise with that much potential money making capability, there’s always talk. It’s in the same way that the Marvel universe repeats and turns in on itself, or you have Spider-Man, or you have Iron Man, or Thor. There’s always potential to update those movies just because of the possibility of making the money and telling new stories. I shouldn’t say it’s just a purely fiscal thought. But yeah, look, there was versions out there, but they hadn’t landed on the right version. So when Lana eventually came back around and said, “Look. I’m interested in making another movie,” of course, they went with the filmmaker who was the genesis of the Matrix.”

When Lana Wachowski expressed interest in directing, the studio readily agreed, and it only made sense to have the original director on board. The critique and fan reaction to The Matrix Resurrections has been divided since its premiere in theatres and on HBO Max. Despite this, WB plans to continue the franchise with a fifth film.

Lana Wachowski has been confirmed as returning by the studio’s CEO Ann Sarnoff. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jonathan Groff star in The Matrix Resurrections.

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