I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid of The Matrix 4. You’re afraid of bad sequels. You’re afraid of bad casting decisions. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to write the rest of this article, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world with a young Keanu Reeves.
Damn, the first Matrix is amazing, eh? Well, it seems like Warner Bros. are going to try to literally capture some of that late 90s magic again by finding an actor to portray a younger version of Neo, the role that solidified Keanu’s place in the action pantheon, alongside the Older One himself. This is all according to Variety reporter Justin Kroll, who revealed the info on a podcast called, oh boy, “Your Mom’s Basement.”
Of course, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of young-casting older actors. After all, we already knew that The Matrix 4 would feature a young Morpheus. Other than that, though, not a whole heck of a lot is known about the mysterious picture. There’s no release date, no solid plotting details, no ideas on if this young stuff is time travel, an alternate version of the Matrix…who knows, man?
I’m kind of looking forward to the film, though. Keanu has blossomed into his own brand of hero now, Lana Wachowski, who’s directing and producing, has really come into her own over the last two decades as an ambitious, if occasionally muddled, filmmaker, and this is an IP that I believe genuinely does deserve some attention. I also want a video game, gosh dang it.
Also, when we get an official title for The Matrix 4 it better be, like, The Matrix Rebooted or Restarted…or maybe Defragmented? Some computer junk. Reloaded would have worked. They should’ve saved that one.