'The Matrix 4': Here's What Convinced Keanu Reeves To Return For The New Sequel

Keanu Reeves is everywhere these days. With the actor enjoying a career resurgence thanks to the John Wick films and a string of charming cameos, you would think that Reeves would be too busy to take a trip down memory lane. But lo and behold, Reeves is returning to not one, but two, major properties that helped launch him to fame. But it's more than nostalgia that brought Reeves back to the Matrix series. Reeves explained exactly why he has returned in The Matrix 4, 17 years after The Matrix Revolutions seemingly wrapped up the sci-fi trilogy.

In an interview with Empire, Reeves explained that once he read Lana Wachowski's "beautiful" script, he had to come back to star in The Matrix 4:

"Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me. That's the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It's been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from."

Lana and Lily Wachowski seemed to have achieved everything they set out to do with the groundbreaking sci-fi action trilogy of The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions. What more story could you tell for Neo (who died in Revolutions)? At least one more film's worth – and one that brings back other major characters, with Carrie-Ann Moss also returning as Trinity. In the Empire article, Moss agreed with Reeves' praise of the script, adding that though she was surprised that a fourth Matrix film could be made, she jumped at the chance to return.

"I never thought that it would happen," Moss said. "It was never on my radar at all. When it was brought to me in the way that it was brought to me, with incredible depth and all of the integrity and artistry that you could imagine, I was like, 'This is a gift.' It was just very exciting."

The Matrix 4 is being directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-wrote the script with David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. Original franchise cast members Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith are all set to return, with new cast members including Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Toby Onwumere, Brian J. Smith, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. There's still no word if original series star Laurence Fishburne is coming back, and rumor has it that Abdul-Mateen is playing a younger version of Fishburne's character Morpheus. Beyond that, plot details remain a secret.The Matrix 4 is still set for a May 21, 2021 release date.