Neil Patrick Harris is one of several newcomers to The Matrix franchise, and it sounds like director Lana Wachowski is taking the film in a new direction.
Secrecy reigns on the set of The Matrix 4, but star Neil Patrick Harris has given fans some enticing nuggets about Lana Wachowski’s vision for the long-anticipated continuation of the sci-fi franchise.
Speaking to SiriusXM, the How I Met Your Mother actor was in a generous mood. He began by talking about Lana Wachowski, who has the sole directorial credit on The Matrix 4 after helming the original trilogy with her sister Lilly. “I have great hope that fans will appreciate all the work that Lana and everyone is putting into this movie,” Harris said. “I’m a big Lana Wachowski fan; I think she’s a great person; I think she has a great inclusive energy.”
He then dropped a hint as to the possible shifts in approach since 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions, revealing: “And her style has shifted visually from what she had done, to what she is currently doing. It’s changed in an evolved way, and she’s such a bright light.”
The last movie in the series was 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions, so it makes sense that Wachowski would have gotten some new ideas in the last 17 years. “I would have been happy to just go and visit the set of a big giant franchise movie,” Harris said. “So the fact that I get a small part in this and can watch from afar … and see how it’s working and see the machine of it all — machine probably being appropriate since it’s The Matrix — I’ve just been having a blast.”
The Matrix 4 features Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity. Jada Pinkett Smith will also return as Niobe. Newcomers include Harris, Jonathan Groff, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Priyanka Chopra. It’s a big cast, and Harris is very much not at the center of it.
The actor does harbor hopes of one day leading an action film, this isn’t the one. “This is not that for me, but it’s certainly tangential and fun for me to be able to admire it and at least play in the sandbox a little bit. I can’t wait for the day when we’re able to watch these big movies in big theaters because this one deserves to be seen on a big scale. It’s ambitious and everyone involved in it, as far as I’m aware, is crushing it.”
Despite these hints, we know little to nothing about the plot, other than that Laurence Fishburne will not be returning as Morpheus; he wasn’t even asked, although he’s wished the film well publicly.
Initially slated for release in May 2021, The Matrix 4 has been delayed until April 2022 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, production has now resumed in Germany, meaning we should get a few more breadcrumbs in the coming weeks and months.
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h/t SyFy Wire