Warner Bros. Shuts Down The Matrix 4 Production

March 16, 2020

After dodging the bullets for nearly two weeks, The Matrix 4 has bit the coronavirus shutdown dust as Warner Bros. has elected to halt production on the highly-anticipated franchise revival amidst concerns of the global virus outbreak, according to Variety.

Production on the film had moved from San Francisco to Berlin and was planning to shoot this week in soundstages, where it was previously reported that precautions were being taken to ensure that the virus wouldn’t affect production, but with Donald Trump enacting travel bans, sources are reporting that studio executives are electing to delay the shoot indefinitely for the safety of all involved. Given its big-budget and high VFX nature, it’s currently unclear if a delay in filming will affect its 2021 release date.

Lana Wachowski co-wrote the script with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchell, and will direct the film as well. Academy-Award winning cinematographer John Toll (Legends of the Fall, Braveheart) will shoot the highly-anticipated sequel, succeeding Bill Pope who was the cinematographer for The Matrix trilogy.

Plot details on the fourth live-action film in The Matrix franchise haven’t been revealed, and given the ending of 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions it’s not a clear cut answer.

Earlier this year we asked our readers if they were interested in more movies in the series, with 69% of those voting saying “Yes!” In a secondary poll, 58% said they wanted to see a continuation of the series. Looks like they’ll be getting what they wanted!

The three previous films—The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003)—have earned more than $1.6 billion at the global box office and were all top-10 domestic hits in their respective years of release. The Matrix Revolutions was also the first film ever to release simultaneously in every major country at the same hour around the world.

The Matrix 4 is scheduled for a May 21, 2021 release.