Zak Penn suggests in a new interview that he is planning to explore the universe established in the original movies from the Wachowski Brothers.
- Mar 19, 2018
AceShowbiz - More details of the planned reboot of "The Matrix" have hit the web. Screenwriter Zak Penn, who is reportedly tapped to provide the script for the new take on the popular sci-fi movie, has opened up about his plans for his upcoming projects, including "The Matrix" revival.
Talking to Screen Rant, the "Ready Player One" writer reveals that he's "been working on 'Matrix' right now. Which is in… a phase right now." He added, "That's a franchise I desperately want to see brought back and, I can't go in to too much detail, but I've been harassing Warner Bros. for years to try to get it going again so that's one thing I'm working on and I've been working on a bunch of other things too."
Penn also said that both "The Matrix" and "Ready Player One" share similarities, especially when it comes to their virtual worlds. "I think OASIS [the virtual space in 'Ready Player One'] is similar," he said. "Both the 'Matrix' and OASIS are similar in that they are brilliant ideas for universes… When it came out about 'Matrix', people were like, 'Oh no, there going to reboot 'Matrix'.' I was like, 'Why, I'm not insane.' I mean, 'The Matrix' is still one of my favorite…they'd re-release 'The Matrix' and people would go see it."
He goes on saying that instead of rebooting, he prefers the term revival for the upcoming project. In addition, Penn implied that he's not rebooting the beloved franchise from the Wachowski Brothers. Penn seemingly is planning to explore the universe established in the original movies.
The new movie reportedly will center on young Morpheus, which was previously portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in "The Matrix" trilogy. "Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan has been reportedly tapped to play the character, who gains respect from the audience due to his monk-like stoicism and wisdom as a mentor.
"The Matrix" starring Keanu Reeves is said to be one of the most original films in cinematic history. The movie sees a dystopian future where humans are unaware they live in a simulated reality created by sentient machines. Computer programmer named Neo (Reeves) slowly learns the truth and starts the rebellion against the machines.
The 1999 movie, which also starred Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving, became the highest grossing R-rated film in North America back in 1999, earning $463.5 million worldwide. It also nabbed four Oscars which included the accolades for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects.
"The Matrix" sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", were both released in 2003. Although the sequels weren't much praised like their predecessor, Reeves' deal for both movies made him one of the richest actors in Hollywood.
