Did Neo and Trinity actually stop the machines? Or was it all a lie? That’s the question at hand in the first trailer for the new The Matrix Resurrections. The visually breathtaking trailer, which first screened at CinemaCon last month, presents us with a long-haired and bearded Neo (Keanu Reeves) resembling an older Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures rather the heroic figure from The Matrix, in a session with his smug therapist played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Going by the name of Thomas (not far from Ted), the one-time hero of The Matrix is confused. He feels like something else is happening, but can’t quite put his finger on it. He asks the therapist, “If he thinks he’s crazy.” The therapist gives Thomas a smug look and says, “We don’t say crazy here.”
From there, we see a reunion between Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity (though they don’t recognize each other at first), and plenty of action as the two encounter a younger incarnation of Morpheus (Candyman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and a mysterious warrior (Jessica Henwick) who appears to know exactly who Neo really is. Watch the trailer below:
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And of course, there is a really cool poster:
While this works as a teaser, it does honestly feel like a reboot as opposed to a 3rd trailer in the series. How are Neo and Trinity, who died at the end of Revolutions, alive again? Why is Morpheus younger? We will have to wait until December 22 to see.
The Matrix Resurrections also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).
Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis. The film was produced by Grant Hill, James McTeigue and Lana Wachowski. The executive producers were Garrett Grant, Terry Needham, Michael Salven, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman.
Wachowski’s creative team behind the scenes included Sense8 collaborators: directors of photography Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll, production designers Hugh Bateup and Peter Walpole, editor Joseph Jett Sally, costume designer Lindsay Pugh, visual effects supervisor Dan Glass, and composers Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, In Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, In Association with Venus Castina Productions, The Matrix Resurrections. The film will be distributed by worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It will be in theaters nationwide and on HBO Max via the Ad-Free plan on December 22, 2021; it will be available on HBO
Max in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos (English only) on supported devices for 31 days from theatrical release.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
