THE MATRIX Reboot Writer Offers New Updates

There have been reports floating around for some time now about a new "Matrix" film being developed. Many wondered whether it's going to be a remake, a reboot, or a sequel, while other rumors spoke of a prequel focusing on a young Morpheus, with Michael B. Jordan being considered for the lead. Almost as soon as the Internet started spinning on the subject, "Ready Player One" screenwriter Zak Penn, who has been hired to pen a first draft for the new "Matrix" film, cleared things up by saying that "no one could or should REBOOT the Matrix".

Recently, Penn dropped more updates on the subject in an interview, detailing his intentions for the franchise, how the world of "The Matrix" is similar to the OASIS in "Ready Player One", and even mentioned the phrase "expanded universe":

"I’ve been working on Matrix right now. Which is in…a phase right now. 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.

I think OASIS (the virtual space in Ready Player One) is similar. 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."

Although I tend to roll my eyes every time I hear the words "expanded universe", it's certainly an interesting concept, and one that the "Matrix" franchise has explored before in various forms with the animated anthology film "Animatrix", a comic book series, and the video games "Enter the Matrix", "Path of Neo", and "The Matrix Online". Although so far only Marvel has successfully launched a cinematic universe, and too many studios are eager to force their franchises into similar enterprises, I will give "The Matrix" the benefit of the doubt, because I think that this particular universe is ripe with possibilities and has been left unexplored for far too long.

Entertainment Factor

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