The Matrix Resurrections: Easter eggs and secrets from the first trailer

Go on and take the red pill...

The first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections has been released, prompting a thrilled reaction from fans.

Running for roughly three minutes, the clip offered a first look at several of the film’s new and returning characters, including Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

It was also revealed that Morpheus, played in the original Matrix trilogy by Laurence Fishburne, will seemingly be played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the new film.

You can find a breakdown of some of the things we learned from the trailer here.

However, the clip also featured a number of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Easter eggs, some of which link back to previous films in the franchise.

Here’s a rundown of some of them that have been spotted already...

Neo’s being worked on

One of the shots that flashes over the screen near the beginning of the trailer sees Neo after the events of Revelations with his eyes burnt out, seemingly being operated on by one of the Matrix contraptions.

As viewers pointed out on social media, the image could be a glimpse at Neo’s reality outside of the new Matrix loop.

“Intriguing blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot from #TheMatrixResurrections trailer – a post-Revelations eye-sizzled Neo being worked on by machines,” wrote one fan. “Possibly being healed up and plugged back in?”

White Rabbit

Like the original Matrix film, the trailer for Resurrections featured a number of references to Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book Alice in Wonderland.

One such reference came in the form of the music – a reworking of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Not only does the song nod to Alice in Wonderland, but also the specific use of a character with a white rabbit tattoo, who starts Neo off on his journey back in The Matrix.

Keanu Reeves in the first trailer for ‘The Matrix Resurrections' (Warner Bros)

Black Cat

In the original trilogy, it was established that a black cat was a sign of a glitch in the Matrix.

Here, we see such a feline prowling atop the desk of Neil Patrick Harris’s psychiatrist character.

A film within a film

As at least one Twitter user pointed out, an image from the original Matrix can be seen projected in-universe in a briefly seen shot from the new trailer.

Could this mean that the Matrix films exist within the universe of Resurrections? The implications are mind-boggling, to say the least.

Morpheus

Not only does the film seemingly include a younger version of Morpheus, played by Abdul-Mateen, but Resurrections also recreates some of the character’s most famous scenes from the original.

In the trailer, we see Neo train with the new Morpheus figure in a dojo, and be offered the choice of a red or blue pill.

The Matrix Resurrections is out in cinemas on 22 December.