Late yesterday, Internet Dot Com was thrown into a tizzy when news of a reboot of The Matrix came down. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, claiming the details are still uncertain but calling the project a “relaunch.” Michael B. Jordan is in talks to star, with Zak Penn working on the screenplay.
That’s not what the collective saw, however, as the hive of humanity online began working itself up and calling blasphemy. We can NOT remake or reboot The Matrix, dammit! Well, let’s all take a step back, think about this report, and calm down.
First of all, if this is a relaunch as the story indicates, I have a feeling Warner Bros. isn’t here to reboot or remake The Matrix. They want to get back into the WORLD of The Matrix, expand on what has always felt like a rich and expansive universe where other stories could easily unfold. While I don’t know anything more than the next person, I can almost bet any amount of money that Jordan will not be the new Neo, that the story won’t develop in the same way as The Wachowski’s original, that we will have an all new adventure in this familiar setting.
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Which brings me to the next upsetting thing for fans: The Wachowski’s aren’t involved. Joel Silver, who produced the original films and an advocate for The Wachowski’s coming back for any potential sequels, sold his interest in the films a few years ago. And Warner Bros. aren’t that excited about bringing the siblings back into the fold. If it isn’t some sort of legal issue, this is totally fine. Because The Wachoswki’s haven’t made a good movie since about halfway through The Matrix Reloaded. The Matrix Revolutions was a muddled, ugly, endless mess of scenes and illogical storylines that hasn’t aged well. Cloud Atlas? Jupiter Ascending? Speed Racer? Let’s not deify those who created this world then ran out of ideas halfway through their own trilogy.
Perhaps new eyes and new ideas will reinvigorate the Matrix world. Think of this more as a shared universe, not a hard reset. Warner Bros. would be foolish to try and recapture the groundbreaking technical magic of the original film, a technological bit of brilliance that changed the face of action filmmaking forever. Let’s all, despite our gut feeling, give Warner Bros. a chance.
Besides, you could call this new film The Matrix Rebooted. It would make all the sense in the world.
