In Conversation with Lana Wachowski and Keanu Reeves about their latest film, “The Matrix Resurrections”

From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited next chapter in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity. 

In Conversation With: LANA WACHOWSKI (Director / Co-Writer / Producer) 

Returning to “The Matrix”: 

Lana Wachowski: My art all comes from this emotional place. I think about things intellectually, but it’s all led by this emotion. This desire to say something about my heart to other people’s hearts. And that became more and more clear through my career. “Cloud Atlas” was a real breakthrough for me, artistically, and then “Sense 8” was probably the most autobiographical thing—that is really me—that I’ve made. And I wanted to bring that same heart to the trilogy. That the trilogy is a really beautiful love, and the struggle of human beings, and the meaning of our lives—it’s all in there. I was struggling with all of that when I was young. But, I wanted this older self, this older heart, to be a part of “The Matrix Trilogy.” That’s one of the reasons I wanted to go back. 

Why now was the right time: 

Lana Wachowski: After we finished “Sense8,” which was a peak experience, we felt like we were done. Lily didn’t want to keep making films either, and we decided that would be the close of it for now. Then our parents got sick and my wife and I came back to Chicago and moved in with them and we took care of them for the last few months of their lives. One night, I woke up, and I was in a lot of pain, and in the grief that I was experiencing with my parents dying, my brain wanted to imagine a story that would be soothing. And so, these two characters that were dead, my brain, one night, just resurrected them and brought them to life—Neo and Trinity. And I immediately responded to this hook of an idea that I woke up with, and I went downstairs and I just started writing it. 

In Conversation With: KEANU REEVES (Neo / Thomas Anderson) 

Continuing Neo and Trinity: 

Keanu Reeves: In speaking with Lana and Lilly, even while we were making the first “Matrix,” they talked about the second film. They spoke about certain sequences that they had in their minds, so I knew that that part of the story was in them even in the first film. For me as an actor, my character had a wonderful resolution in the trilogy—it was a character that bridged the real world and the Matrix, a balance between human and machine worlds… just asking for peace. What happened to Thomas Anderson felt like that part of the story was told. 

Lana spoke about having another story to tell, which centered around Neo and Trinity, the love story of that, and that sounded really exciting to me. I felt like there was a perfect kind of union there. Borrowing from Thomas Anderson’s coding world, the word “binary” comes up, choices that are singular—this way, that way. Trinity and Neo to me kind of represent this union. I think they’re very complementary to each other in their thought, in their energy. I root for them. When I play the character and I work with Carrie-Anne as Trinity—it’s something beyond myself. It’s this big… whatever that is, it feels like they’re in that together. 

Keanu Reeves: When I read “The Matrix Resurrections,” Morpheus was not the same Morpheus, Thomas Anderson wasn’t the same Thomas Anderson, and Trinity was Tiffany—it was another version of a wakeup call. For Morpheus, the journey that the character takes is very different, and the relationship with Neo is really different. Lana has written these very rich roles, and with actors like Yahya [Abdul-Mateen II], Jonathan [Groff]—they’re amazing at playing both the humor and the gravitas. They create these characters within these contexts, who have these inner selves that are both light and dark…it’s so cool to watch them. 

If I talk about Lana, the filmmaker that I worked with on the trilogy, to the Lana on “The Matrix Resurrections…” First of all, she’s worked with [cinematographer] John Toll, who taught her a bit about natural light. So, my experience [of the trilogy] was with her behind a monitor, now she’s in front—of course, she’ll reference the monitor. Her evolution as a filmmaker is extraordinary. So, what we have now is an artist who’s interested in natural light, who wants to be next to the camera and literally connects herself to the camera and becomes this other thing, which I’ve never seen before. You know, there’s an immediacy that’s very different. There’s still planning like before—plan, rehearse, shoot. Now, it’s “be ready in the moment… go.” As Lana likes to say, “We learn by doing,” and she knows, right? 

What are your thoughts about the reunion with Carrie-Anne Moss?

Keanu Reeves: Carrie-Anne and I have kept in touch. A lot has happened to that wonderful person. When I first worked with her, she didn’t have three children and a husband. We really had a routine, like, “Good morning,” “Good morning.” Then, we’d stretch, warm up and train together. She’d play her music, bring the light. We’d support each other, get to talk about life while on the mat. I’ve cherished that time that I got to share with her then and now, to meet her again… to meet her so different and, yet, so much the same, so much of the core person there. Just to see how that core has expressed itself and to meet her kids, her husband, a cool family. To act with her, to play that love. We have a couple of scenes where Tiffany and Thomas have a cup of coffee—for us, it is so emotional. It was almost like, how do we not cry? 

Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksandar Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis. The film was produced by James McTeigue, Lana Wachowski and Grant Hill. The executive producers were Garrett Grant, Terry Needham, Michael Salven, Karin Wachowski, 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. 

“The Matrix Resurrections” is rated R for violence and some language.  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.