Earlier this week, it was reported that Warner Bros. was working on a reboot of the 1999 sci-fi classic The Matrix. Given the current franchise friendly Hollywood landscape, this news was met with little surprise and tepid excitement. Not only did the previous two Matrix sequels leave a bad taste in our mouths, but reboots and sequels have become so common that they’ve lost a bit of their flavor.
However, Zak Penn (Ready Player One, X-Men: The Last Stand) – who will likely be penning the script – took to social media to divulge some much needed clarity on the project. According to Penn, this new endeavor is neither a direct sequel or a prequel. Hmmm.
“All I can say at this point is no one could or should REBOOT The Matrix. People who know Animatrix and the comics understand. Can’t comment yet except to say that the words ‘reboot’ and ‘remake’ were from an article. Let’s stop responding to inaccurate news. Do I want to see more stories set in the universe of The Matrix? Yes. Because it’s a brilliant idea that generates great stories.”
Here are some Tweets from Penn regarding his plans for the new Matrix project.
https://twitter.com/zakpenn/status/842613451658747904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/zakpenn/status/842611801606959105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/zakpenn/status/842608247232069634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Okay, so Penn’s message appears to be that the script he’s working on is not a reboot or a remake and that he has a great appreciation for the original series. That’s all well and good, except for the fact that Penn doesn’t exactly have the best track record. His screenplay credits (different than story credits) leave a lot to be desired. Do we really trust him to explore a niche corner of this universe like Lucasfilm did with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?
One good piece of news surrounding this project is that Michael B. Jordan (Creed) is reportedly set to star. Jordan is one of the more impressive up-and-coming actors and we’d love to see him as either a young Morpheus or an entirely new character.
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