The Matrix -- new film in development by WB / Zak Penn
#76
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Screenwriter Zak Penn has revealed some of his plans for his upcoming Matrix movie. The Ready Player One scribe has certainly built up a significant amount of nerd cred over the course of his impressive career. With writing credits for films such as X2: X-Men United, Elektra, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, Penn has made his mark on the superhero genre in a way not many can match.
Penn has taken on some major genre pictures during his time, but nothing he’s done compares to his task of bringing back the Matrix franchise. While talking to Screen Rant about his work with superhero films (he explains that he did write a draft of Suicide Squad 2 as a favor), Penn gave us an update on some of his upcoming projects. In the first of a three part series, Penn gave some insight into his plans for one of his passion projects: The Matrix.
Zak Penn: I’ve been working on Matrix right now. Which is in…a phase right now. That’s a franchise I desperately want to see brought back and, I can’t go in to too much detail, but I’ve been harassing Warner Bros. for years to try to get it going again so that’s one thing I’m working on and I’ve been working on a bunch of other things too.
I want to hug you for that. I love The Matrix.
Penn: I will fight people who don’t under…look, I think OASIS (the interconnected virtual space in Ready Player One) is similar, both the Matrix and OASIS are similar in that they are brilliant ideas for universes. And they are not, you know, when it came out about Matrix, people were like ‘Oh no, there going to reboot Matrix’ I was like, Why, I’m not insane. I mean, the Matrix is still one of my favorite…they’d re-release The Matrix and people would go see it.
That movie was mind blowing.
Penn: I was at the premiere and I was still like, this was better than I ever expected. So I just think that universe is brilliant, I think OASIS is like the action-comedy version of that and it doesn’t always have to be the same characters, you could go in so many different directions so…
The Matrix, which debuted in early 1999, opened the minds of audiences to some wild ideas and was certainly a revolutionary film in terms of its VFX. Two successful sequels followed, both in 2003, as did an animated collection of short films, The Animatrix, that gave fans some exposition about how the Matrix came to be. Penn has been very protective of his plans for The Matrix in the past, insisting that it would be neither a continuation of the trilogy nor a reboot. Based on his comments here, it seems that Penn’s Matrix film(s) might just be about an entirely different set of characters who happen to inhabit the Matrix, expanding the universe beyond the keyhole view we get from the perspective of Neo and crew in the originals.
The idea of shared or expanded universes is certainly an interesting one. With Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. and Universal all building their own versions of them, they’ve become more common but they also carry great risk. Given the number of moving parts and dangling threads, it’s no easy task to structure movies not only as individual stories but also as pieces of a greater narrative, but here’s to hoping that Penn’s passion for the project and his experience with comic book films can help him bring The Matrix to a new generation of fans.
Penn has taken on some major genre pictures during his time, but nothing he’s done compares to his task of bringing back the Matrix franchise. While talking to Screen Rant about his work with superhero films (he explains that he did write a draft of Suicide Squad 2 as a favor), Penn gave us an update on some of his upcoming projects. In the first of a three part series, Penn gave some insight into his plans for one of his passion projects: The Matrix.
Zak Penn: I’ve been working on Matrix right now. Which is in…a phase right now. That’s a franchise I desperately want to see brought back and, I can’t go in to too much detail, but I’ve been harassing Warner Bros. for years to try to get it going again so that’s one thing I’m working on and I’ve been working on a bunch of other things too.
I want to hug you for that. I love The Matrix.
Penn: I will fight people who don’t under…look, I think OASIS (the interconnected virtual space in Ready Player One) is similar, both the Matrix and OASIS are similar in that they are brilliant ideas for universes. And they are not, you know, when it came out about Matrix, people were like ‘Oh no, there going to reboot Matrix’ I was like, Why, I’m not insane. I mean, the Matrix is still one of my favorite…they’d re-release The Matrix and people would go see it.
That movie was mind blowing.
Penn: I was at the premiere and I was still like, this was better than I ever expected. So I just think that universe is brilliant, I think OASIS is like the action-comedy version of that and it doesn’t always have to be the same characters, you could go in so many different directions so…
The Matrix, which debuted in early 1999, opened the minds of audiences to some wild ideas and was certainly a revolutionary film in terms of its VFX. Two successful sequels followed, both in 2003, as did an animated collection of short films, The Animatrix, that gave fans some exposition about how the Matrix came to be. Penn has been very protective of his plans for The Matrix in the past, insisting that it would be neither a continuation of the trilogy nor a reboot. Based on his comments here, it seems that Penn’s Matrix film(s) might just be about an entirely different set of characters who happen to inhabit the Matrix, expanding the universe beyond the keyhole view we get from the perspective of Neo and crew in the originals.
The idea of shared or expanded universes is certainly an interesting one. With Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. and Universal all building their own versions of them, they’ve become more common but they also carry great risk. Given the number of moving parts and dangling threads, it’s no easy task to structure movies not only as individual stories but also as pieces of a greater narrative, but here’s to hoping that Penn’s passion for the project and his experience with comic book films can help him bring The Matrix to a new generation of fans.
#79
DVD Talk Gold Edition
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
WTF is all of these reboots?
Can't Hollywood come up with original ideas anymore?
Like everything else in America these days; it's the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
Can't Hollywood come up with original ideas anymore?
Like everything else in America these days; it's the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
#82
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Eh, whatever - I'm cool with remake - just lose all the sunglasses - that was pretty much the goofiest part of those flicks.
#83
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Where will they find a phone booth in 2019?
#84
DVD Talk Hero
#85
DVD Talk Limited Edition
#86
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Well the Matrix is coming to Ultra HD in May and I'll take that any day over a reboot which apparently is the only thing Hollywood can do since they lack real ideas, imagination & stories. If it weren't for Marvel already having the characters in place, Hollywood would be a ghost town....
...did like the Where will they find a Phone Booth.I can see people in the audience asking, "What is that he got in and what is that he's talking into?".......
...did like the Where will they find a Phone Booth.I can see people in the audience asking, "What is that he got in and what is that he's talking into?".......
#87
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
First movie was fantastic. Sequels had some good moments, and thats me being kind.
This series had limitless potential, and it got wasted by two directors who wanted to come off as intellectual. The piss poor effects didn't help.
I am open to a continuation of the series, just as long as they realize that literally anything is possible in this world and they should utilize that notion. It doesn't have to always boil down to a slugfest or a shoot out. Be imaginative. Oh wait, its Hollywood. Yeah, that aint happening.
This series had limitless potential, and it got wasted by two directors who wanted to come off as intellectual. The piss poor effects didn't help.
I am open to a continuation of the series, just as long as they realize that literally anything is possible in this world and they should utilize that notion. It doesn't have to always boil down to a slugfest or a shoot out. Be imaginative. Oh wait, its Hollywood. Yeah, that aint happening.
#91
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
I still remember when I first seen the matrix trailer on TV and it had an Enigma song as the background and I said "woah".
Some original movies got a magic about them. Matrix is one of them. I can't say the same for the sequels though because they were way too out there to be taken seriously.
Some original movies got a magic about them. Matrix is one of them. I can't say the same for the sequels though because they were way too out there to be taken seriously.
#92
Banned by request
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
I loved that Enigma teaser.
I find it amusing people are okay with a reboot so the outfits and stuff can be updated. There’s no need for a reboot. New generations need to come up with their own original material. But it’s WB, so they’re incapable of stuff like that.
I find it amusing people are okay with a reboot so the outfits and stuff can be updated. There’s no need for a reboot. New generations need to come up with their own original material. But it’s WB, so they’re incapable of stuff like that.
#93
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Couldn't have said it any better.
#94
DVD Talk Godfather
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
From previous articles it sounded like another movie in the universe/world, not necessarily a reboot/remake.
#95
DVD Talk Hero
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Not necessarily Formerly known as Solid Snake
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re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Irony: I don’t want a reboot of the movie series that prominently featured reboots as a central plot element. If any series could justify a reboot plot-wise, this is it. My answer is still no though.
#96
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Man I'm cynical about movies these days. Lately whenever I hear about a reboot/remake/reimagining/sequel/prequel/franchise/cinematic universe, more than anything I just want to see it fail. I'd rather see a franchise movie sink a studio, than see a great franchise movie.
#97
DVD Talk Gold Edition
re: The Matrix 4 (D: Lana Wachowski) S: Reeves, Moss
Man I'm cynical about movies these days. Lately whenever I hear about a reboot/remake/reimagining/sequel/prequel/franchise/cinematic universe, more than anything I just want to see it fail. I'd rather see a franchise movie sink a studio, than see a great franchise movie.