The Matrix 4: Everything you need to know about sequel starring Keanu Reeves

From the latest cast updates to plot details – find out information about the new film here

The Matrix 4 is on its way, with Keanu Reeves returning as his iconic character Neo.

Little is known about the sequel – including its official title – but we’ve gathered together all the info that’s out there on the cast, release date and plot.

Here are our findings…

Who is in the cast?

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as Neo and Trinity, despite both characters being dead at the end of the third film, 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions.

Daniel Bernhardt is also reprising his role as Agent Johnson and Jada Pinkett Smith is back as Niobe, who she played in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Lambert Wilson is also reportedly returning as the Merovingian, his schedule permitting. If he does star, Monica Bellucci will also likely return as Persephone, the Merovingian’s wife.

Aquaman and Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a new addition to the cast, with rumours swirling that he will be playing a younger version of Morpheus.

Laurence Fishburne, the original Morpheus, confirmed last year that he had “not been invited” to be in the fourth film.

How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris and Marvel star Jessica Henwick have also been cast, alongside Mindhunter and Frozen star Jonathan Groff, Line of Duty’s Stephen Graham, The White Tiger’s Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Spartacus’s Ellen Hollman, iZombie’s Andrew Caldwell and Sense8’s Brian J Smith, Toby Onwumere and Eréndira Ibarra.

Hugo Weaving will not be returning as Agent Smith, with the actor confirming that scheduling issues got in the way.

Christina Ricci, who is known for playing unusual characters, is the latest cast member to be confirmed.

Christina Ricci (Matt Baron/Shutterstock)

When will the film be released?

The Matrix 4 was first scheduled for release on 21 May, 2021 in the UK and US, before it was pushed back as a result of Covid-related filming delays to 1 April, 2022.

However, Warner Bros has now moved the movie’s release forward to 22 December, 2021.

Warner Bros is releasing all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max and in cinemas simultaneously in the US, where it will be available for one month from its cinema release date.

What do we know about the plot?

Very little, is the short answer. The cast are being very tight-lipped about what the new film will be about.

The screenplay will be co-written by Lana Wachowski, The Lazarus Project author Aleksandar Hemon and Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell, so is likely to be complex.

Yahya Madul-Abteen II did reveal that the film is “so relevant” and “touches on themes people should be talking about in 2020, 2021, 2022”.

Reeves has said the movie has a “beautiful script that is a love story”, adding: “It’s another version of a kind of, call to wake up. It entertains... It has some great action. All will be revealed.”