Fifth Matrix movie is in the works with Drew Goddard to write and direct

As we get closer to the terrifying prospect artificial intelligence could soon replace humans, Warner Bros has announced a fifth Matrix movie is in the works.

Are you ready to be plunged back into that particular, gooey nightmare?

The film will be the first without either of the franchise creators, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who kicked off The Matrix a quarter of a century ago in March 1999, making everyone paranoid that they might be unknowingly living in a virtual simulation.

The new instalment will be written and directed by Drew Goddard, best known as the writer behind Cloverfield, The Martian, World War Z and for writing and directing The Cabin in the Woods and Bad Times at the El Royale. Goddard got his start in the writing rooms of Buffy, Alias and Lost.

Warner Bros said Goddard approached the studio with an idea of how to continue The Matrix universe “based on his own love of the series and characters,” according to a statement from president of production Jesse Ehrmann.

While neither Wachowski will be involved in the writing or directing, Lana will serve as an executive producer.

Lana made the most Matrix entry, The Matrix: Resurrections which was released in December 2021 to mixed reviews and a disappointing box office. It had been the first Matrix movie since the original trilogy, which were filmed in Australia and used Sydney locations as a backdrop for the fake city created by AI.

Considered one of the most imaginative and influential sci-fi films of all time, The Matrix centred on the character of Neo, a hacker who was revealed to be “The One” to rise up against the AI machines that had taken over the world and subjugated humans in a simulated reality, keeping them unaware of the true nature of things.

It also pioneered action sequences such as ultra slow-mo “bullet time”.

It’s unclear whether a fifth movie would feature any of the original trilogy cast including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith and Laurence Fishburne (the latter did not return for the fourth film) or any of the newer ensemble such as Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Jessica Henwick and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

There are also no details on if it would be a continuation of Neo and Trinity’s story or if it would focus on another aspect of the world of The Matrix.