In a nutshell: In news that might surprise some of those who watched the last entry in the franchise, a new Matrix movie is being made by Warner Bros. The upcoming fifth installment will be the first without Lana or Lily Wachowski directing, though Lana Wachowski will be an executive producer.

The next Matrix movie will be written and directed by Drew Goddard, whose past credits include the excellent The Cabin in the Woods, The Martian, Cloverfield, World War Z, and Bad Times at the El Royale. His TV work includes classics from the late 90s/early 2000s, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost, as well as newer shows such as Daredevil and The Good Place.

Warner Bros. never revealed if main cast members Keanu Reeves or Carrie-Anne Moss would be returning for their fifth outing, or if Lawrence Fishburne or Hugo Weaving will come back after skipping the last movie.

Warner Bros. Motion Pictures President of Production Jesse Ehrman said in a statement, “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.”

“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,” the executive added.

The first Matrix movie took viewers’ breath away when it arrived in 1999. The two sequels, both released in 2003, never received as much acclaim, but The Matrix Reloaded still grossed $739.4 million worldwide, the third-highest of the year, while The Matrix Revolutions made $427 million, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of the year.

While The Matrix Revolutions appeared to end the trilogy, a fourth movie, The Matrix Resurrections, arrived in 2021. The first Matrix to be directed solely by Lana Wachowski released to very mixed reviews – both its critic and audience scores are 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed just $159.2 million worldwide, though it did arrive during the lockdowns and was one of the first movies to be released in both cinemas and on a streaming service (HBO Max, as it still was then) simultaneously, a move that led to WB being sued.

While this writer certainly wasn’t a fan of The Matrix Resurrections, news that Goddard is writing and directing the next instalment is promising, given his past work. The writer-director himself sounds excited to be involved. “It is not hyperbole to say The Matrix films changed both cinema and my life,” Goddard said. “Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”