Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: The Matrix

  • Currently No Plans for ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Sequels or Spinoffs

    Currently No Plans for ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Sequels or Spinoffs

    Here’s some sad news, as even in a world filled to the brim with spinoffs and sequels, it seems that Warner Bros. has no plans for any expansion of the recently resurrected The Matrix franchise. The Matrix Resurrections – fitting title – wasN’t a cheap film to produce with $190M and there were expectations it would make bank at the box office. Yet, it currently stands at $106M globally and is struggling to even make its production budget back. It sadly even had the biggest drop in its second week.

    There has been no word how the film performed on HBO Max as part of its simulcast release, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, it may have joined the top five. Box office analyst Jeff Bock had the following statement regarding its sub-par performance:

    The fact that Resurrections is heavily meta doesn’t help attract new audiences either. Truth is, the multiplex masses weren’t on board

    So, while HBO Max’s performance is optimistic there’s another issue that is adding some uncertainty about a future for the franchise. Lana Wachowski has not signed on for more films after directing the latest legacy sequel, and Keanu Reeves‘ contract does not include sequel options. As such, even if they move forward with sequels it doesn’t mean that the actor will also make a definite return. Even with a strong performance on the streamer, mostly related to its older audience, there has not been an official word by Warner Bros. For now, it seems like we might be in for another long wait.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Starts Off 2022 Strong Passing $600M Domestically as ‘The Matrix Ressurections’ Falls Behind

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Starts Off 2022 Strong Passing $600M Domestically as ‘The Matrix Ressurections’ Falls Behind

    Well, this is certainly a way to start off the year. Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to push through even as uncertainty remains with the Omicron variant potentially putting a halt to any film’s momentum. Still, just a week ago the film passed $500M at the domestic box office and has now already managed to swing past $600M. It’s a motivating start to the New Year for many theater owners and Hollywood, but not everything has been rosy at the domestic box office.

    The Matrix Resurrections and The King’s Man have been struggling at the box office. The latter managed to outpace the former, which may be attributed to the simultaneous release on HBO Max. It only managed to nab $3.8M over the entire weekend, which puts it at $31M and far out of range for a potential $100M domestic release. The latest Matrix entry was overtaken not only by Matthew Vaughn‘s latest entry but also American Underdog, a film about NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.

    Still, the family-focused Sing 2 was a shining light as it held on to the second spot with $19.6M. It’s made $89.8M in 14 days, it’ll reach the benchmark faster than Disney’s Encanto, which only managed it now since its initial release over Thanksgiving. The big test will be how The Batman performs in March to see where 2022 is heading.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘The Matrix Resurrection’ PS5 Tie-In ‘The Matrix Awakens’ Leaks

    RUMOR: ‘The Matrix Resurrection’ PS5 Tie-In ‘The Matrix Awakens’ Leaks

    Here’s a curious discovery. Reddit user u/the_andshrew shared a potential The Matrix Resurrection tie-in that was uncovered in the PSN’s backend that is only available through the PlayStation 5. It’s supposedly made in Unreal Engine 5, which is the cornerstone of the new generation of gaming. All we have is a visual that teases the title of The Matrix Awakens and the iconic visual design used in most of the upcoming film’s marketing and trailers.

    https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202111/3023/2Xx5zJZOqDPuGZxQMf68YNaV.png

    The title of “experience” is a signifier this might not be an actual game. It might be similar to the Spider-Man: Far From Home tie-in VR experiences, where you get to spend some fun time in the shoes of your favorite webhead. So, we might take on the role of Neo in a short segment, or they might play on you entering the Matrix through the VR headset. It’ll be interesting to see what this might end up being once it is officially announced.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down a Role in ‘Shang-Chi’

    ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down a Role in ‘Shang-Chi’

    Jessica Henwick’s star has been on the rise over the last couple of years. Beginning with her turn as Nymeria Sand in Game of Thrones, Henwick began stealing the show more and more frequently. Such was the case in Marvel’s Netflix series Iron Fist, where Henwick’s performance captivated audiences and lead to fans clamoring for a spinoff. Henwick’s next big thing is a role in next month’s The Matrix Resurrections and, as it turns out, it came at the expense of another Marvel role.

    In an interview with EW, Henwick revealed that she was up for a role in Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings at the same time she was auditioning for WB the role of Bug in the fourth Matrix film. According to Henwick, both studios knew about the other roles and forced Henwick to make a choice, which Henwick cleverly referred to as a “red-pill/blue-pill moment” as she was not guaranteed either role at that time.

    Henwick didn’t share what role she was up for in Shang-Chi, but given her age, it would seem the roles played by Meng’er Zhang and Fala Chen would be appropriate and, likely in that order. It’s interesting that Marvel Studios was open to working with Henwick once again given that she ended the second season of Iron Fist in a position of prominence. One could argue that this would be furhter evidence that Marvel Studios does not consider the events of Iron Fist, and by association any of the Defenders projects, to be canonical in the Sacred Timeline. While Marvel Studios has worked with Gemma Chan on multiple projects, her minor role in Captain Marvel saw her face painted blue and gave her relatively few lines making it easier for her to move into Eternals in a main role. It’s hard to make the same argument for Henwick and Blade star Mahershala Ali, who had major supporting roles in their respective Netflix series.

    The Matrix Resurrections will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.

    Source: EW

  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks Playing a New Morpheus in ‘The Matrix Resurrections’

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks Playing a New Morpheus in ‘The Matrix Resurrections’

    After the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections finally dropped, we got our first look at Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who had an eerie similarity to Morpheus. The way he is introduced alongside some similarities to previous entries, it seemed like he’ll play a new version of Laurence Fishburne‘s classic character. The actor didn’t waste any time and confirmed it shortly after its release on Instagram. Yet, the answer also raised quite a few new questions surrounding why they recast this character while Neo and Trinity are returning.

    Luckily, he offered a clearer picture in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that while it is Morpheus, it isn’t the one you might think it is. After praising Fishburne‘s performance, who famously pointed out that he wasn’t asked to return for the fourth entry in the franchise, Abdul-Mateen goes son to say that:

    I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

    Of course, in a world like the Matrix, anything seems possible. Even the tragic recasting of the Oracle between films was given in-universe reasoning. There’s possibly a play on why Morpheus has taken on a new, younger form while still taking on the same role towards Neo. The Aquaman actor highlights that his character is very well aware of what has happened in the series’ past.

    I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

    It’s certainly raised some eyebrows that they took this direction, but there might be a story reason for it. Even the first trailer teased that the Matrix has changed since the last time we’ve seen it. Keanu Reeve‘s Neo shouldn’t technically be alive after the events of the third film, but we see him alongside a returning Carrie-Anne Moss. Once we witnessed it on the silver screen, who knows how we’ll see our world.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly, Instagram

  • The First Footage from ‘MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS’ Has Debuted

    The First Footage from ‘MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS’ Has Debuted

    The folks in Cinemacon are a lucky bunch this week. In addition to getting to see Ghostbusters: Afterlife in its entirety the other night, Warner Bros.’s presentation last night gave a first look at the much-awaited fourth Matrix film, officially titled Matrix: Resurrections. Check out the trailer description below:

    The new trailer opens in San Francisco, with Neo now going by the name of Thomas and seemingly unaware of who he is. Neil Patrick Harris plays his therapist and a brief scene of Neo as Thomas is shown in a therapy session. Neo says, “I’ve had dreams that don’t seem like dreams. Am I crazy?” before he has flashbacks to events of the original trilogy.

    The trailer also expands on the initial footage of Trinity and Neo meeting, but this time, they don’t seem to know each other even though they think they do. Trinity asks Neo as Thomas, “Have we met?” The trailer then shifts into montage mode, with Neo observing day-to-day life in the Matrix’s version of San Francisco. Finally, Mateen shows up and he looks like a young Morpheus, saying, “Time to fly,” before offering Neo a red pill and a blue pill. Then, another young woman with blue hair takes Neo through a mirror, showing him the Matrix.

    Another scene sees young Morpheus and Neo fighting before Neo breaks the dojo room with his powers. The trailer also shows that the machine pods are back, as are the Agents, and the franchise’s signature action. Trinity can be seen fighting police officers and Agents at one point before the clip ends with Neo pulling his signature move, stopping bullets with his mind, before he redirects an entire missile at a helicopter.

    Matrix: Resurrections is still purportedly supposed to release later this December but given how the pandemic situation is erratic domestically and worldwide, there’s a good chance for this to get delayed. A possible release delay could easily mean we won’t see this trailer for a while which is disappointing because that footage description sounds incredible. If all goes well, this film could be a return to form for the Wachowskis.

    Source: Screenrant

  • ‘THE MATRIX 4’ Set to Film In Australia

    The upcoming fourth film in The Matrix franchise will film in Australia. This marks a return to form for the franchise as each of the previous films in the series were filmed there as well.

    Production will begin in the US, bouncing to three different locations before moving to Australia in March. The film will see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss return alongside newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris and Jessica Henwick. It is due in theaters on May 21, 2021.

    This news was first reported by GWW.