Matrix Resurrections Poster Hints Keanu Reeves Will Recreate Most Famous Scene

Could the new Matrix movie recreate Keanu Reeves' most famous scene?

By Carolyn Jenkins | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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Those ready to re-enter The Matrix are in luck come December. It has been almost two decades since Keanu Reeves last played Neo. But that doesn’t stop the fanfare surrounding the fourth film in the franchise, The Matrix: Resurrections. The plot is kept under wraps which only makes sense for the film’s return. All fans really know is that the trailer has a groovy soundtrack set to Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and that characters Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) will be returning. But just in time for the movie to hit theaters, a new promotional poster has materialized. The Twitter for Warner Bros. India released a new image for fans to analyze.

The poster is sure to draw attention as it is a direct callback to the first film.  Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are pictured as their iconic characters Neo and Trinity. Reeves’ hands are held aloft, a clear reference to his ability to stop bullets. In particular, it seems to mirror the scene at the end of The Matrix when Neo — finally accepting his role as The One — uses nothing but his will to stop bullets fired at him from the malevolent Agents.

The Matrix was a feat in filmmaking when it came out in 1999. The film centered around Keanu Reeves’ Neo, already aware of The Matrix’s existence and desperately trying to find a way to connect to fellow hacker Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). When Neo finds Morpheus, he also finds a world he never knew existed. People are used as batteries to fuel the machines that now rule what was once Earth. Neo realizes that he is The One, the only person who can liberate the humans from their machine oppressors. Co-directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, The Matrix was entirely unique. With the special effects and the nature of questioning your reality, there is a reason that the series still resonates today.

keanu reeves

When Keanu Reeves was cast as Neo, he was already at the height of his fame. Reeves had been seen in blockbuster and indie movies alike. His most prominent credits was in Point Break as Johnny Utah, attempting to bring down a surfing ring of bank robbers. The actor was also in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Speed, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. These credits were all before The Matrix premiered and even after the franchise seemed to be concluded, he continued to make waves. Most recently Reeves has led the action series John Wick. John Wick and The Matrix have similar action sequences for a reason. Director of John Wick Chad Stahelski originally met Reeves on the set of The Matrix where he served as Reeves’s stunt double (via The Hollywood Reporter). He went on to develop John Wick and will be assisting on a fight sequence in The Matrix: Resurrections. 

There is no telling what The Matrix 4 will bring, but it is certain to be interesting. While familiar faces like Keanu Reeves are returning for the new film, there are changes as well. An obvious change is The Matrix: Resurrections does not have the Morpheus that fans are accustomed to. Fishburne will not be appearing in the sequel. Instead, Yahya Abdul-Mateen will be playing a similar but different character. In an interview with IndieWire, Abdul-Mateen states that he is not replacing Fishburne’s unimpeachable character, but a man also named Morpheus. This stirs up many questions about what this reality is. But fans will have to wait and find out on December 22nd when The Matrix: Resurrections hits theaters.