The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski explains why she didn't return for Matrix 4

The Matrix (1999)
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski has explained why she didn't return for Matrix 4, officially titled The Matrix: Resurrections.

"That's a tough one," Wachowski commented during a virtual panel for the Television Critics Association Summer Tour (H/T Entertainment Weekly). "I got out of my transition and was just completely exhausted because we had made Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, and the first season of Sense8 back-to-back-to-back." 

She went on to explain she "needed this time away from this industry" and wanted to "reconnect with myself as an artist." The director added: "[Lana Wachowski] had come up with this idea for another Matrix movie, and we had this talk, and it was actually – we started talking about it in between [our] dad dying and [our] mom dying, which was like five weeks apart."

She continued: "And there was something about the idea of going backward and being a part of something that I had done before that was expressly unappealing. And, like, I didn't want to have gone through my transition and gone through this massive upheaval in my life, the sense of loss from my mom and dad, to want to go back to something that I had done before, and sort of [walk] over old paths that I had walked in, felt emotionally unfulfilling, and really the opposite – like I was going to go back and live in these old shoes, in a way. And I didn't want to do that."

The Matrix 4 sees the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, as well as Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe, Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian, and Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson. Lana Wachowski is back to direct. 

New cast members include Christina Ricci, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The first trailer debuted at CinemaCon, and sees an amnesiac Neo and Trinity meeting again for the first time.

The Matrix: Resurrections arrives this December 22 in theaters and on HBO Max in the US. While you wait, check out our guide to all of 2021's upcoming movie release dates.

TOPICS
CATEGORIES
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Men in Black
26 years after he turned down The Matrix, Will Smith teases an upcoming reboot where he will star as Neo: "Wake up, Will"
John Wick
Keanu Reeves has a very blunt reaction to if he'd return for another John Wick movie: "The character's dead"
Hilary Swank in The Next Karate Kid
Cobra Kai showrunners explain why that fan-favorite Karate Kid franchise actor didn’t show up in the final season: "Our hope is that there’s more Karate Kid stories in the future"
The Rise of Skywalker
Despite those retirement reports, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is "very involved" in the Rey Star Wars movie, according to Daisy Ridley
Joker: Folie À Deux Easter eggs
Lady Gaga addresses Joker 2 backlash: "People just sometimes don't like some things"
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
Zoe Saldaña reveals she made a 26-year commitment to James Cameron's Avatar movies: "It's a gift"
Latest in Sci-Fi Movies
Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State post-credits scene: does the Russo brothers' new Netflix movie have a post-credits scene?
All You Need is Kill anime
Graphic novel that inspired one of Tom Cruise's highest-rated actioners is being turned into an anime movie
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars confirms Watto isn’t dead after all in new comic, and fans are celebrating his miraculous survival
Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Ke Huy Quan in The Electric State
The Electric State ending explained: Who won the final battle and is Kid Cosmo still alive?
Millie Bobby Brown in The Electric State
All of the Best Picture winners of the last 10 years combined still have a lower budget than the Russo brothers’ new Netflix movie
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2, dock and TV
Nintendo Switch 2 could cost $400-$500, say analysts, but it might launch with a Super Mario Odyssey follow-up and Metroid Prime 4
Silent Hill f
Famed Higurashi When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 says he worked so hard on the Silent Hill f story that "I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing I ever wrote"
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors devs launch official wiki "free of ads, banners, and all of the junk that gets in your way," joining Stardew Valley and Terraria in community wikis with minimal intrusions
Gachiakuta season 1 promo art featuring Rudo
The anime for stylish action manga Gachiakuta will be a Crunchyroll exclusive, and the hit series could be the next big shonen star
WalkScape
"Staying MTX and advertisement free is absolutely key": Almost 20 years later, RuneScape fan turns his MMO love into an old-school RPG where fitness is the grind
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition Magellan Man
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition 15-inch Magellan Man is part of his studio's "spirit and soul," so the crew went to China to make sure it's good enough