After initially trying to carry on production on their major blockbusters during the Coronavirus pandemic, Warner Bros. have now succumbed to the growing crisis, halting shooting on The Matrix 4 and The Batman, with the start of filming on Fantastic Beasts 3 also having been delayed indefinitely.
The entire movie industry is basically in a state of lockdown for the foreseeable future, with major theater chains even closing down for weeks as the world continues to try and cope with the increase in cases. This is an unprecedented scenario the likes of which the business has never experienced before, with companies now scrambling to release movies on home video earlier than expected in an effort to tide over those either working from home or self-isolating until the worst is behind us.
The delay of The Matrix 4 in particular may have consequences for fans of the internet’s favorite actor, as next year’s Keanu Reeves Day might not be able to happen after all. The 55 year-old’s return as Neo was scheduled to be released on the exact same day as John Wick: Chapter 4, giving us a double dose of fourth installments in Keanu Reeves franchises, in a strange situation where he would be cannibalizing his own chances of success at the box office.
However, with The Matrix 4 now on hiatus, and Reeves set to shoot Wick 4 immediately after, it seems unlikely that his schedule will allow both movies to be completed and released on the same day, especially when you consider the huge amount of post-production work and CGI effects that will be needed to bring director Lana Wachowski’s vision to life.
On the plus side, fans won’t have to choose which Keanu Reeves movie they wanted to see on May 21st of next year, and along with Bill & Ted Face the Music, 2021 is still shaping up to be yet another banner year for the Speed and Point Break star’s recent career renaissance.