The Matrix 5 is officially still alive

If you thought Keanu Reeves was settling into his John Wick era for good, think again. Before the beard, the bulletproof three-piece suit, and the dog vengeance, Reeves practically defined turn-of-the-millennium action as Neo—the black-coated, painfully sincere saviour of humanity in The Matrix. Since that 1999 debut, the franchise has bounced through not just two rapid-fire sequels, but also comics, video games, and an array of tie-in projects a mile long. And yes, just when you thought it was all fading into fourth-wall-breaking nostalgia, there’s news: The Matrix 5 is actually happening, and now it’s got a rough date to prove it.

The Matrix 5’s current target release window is 2029.

What’s actually going on?

Let’s back up. After breaking cinema with kung fu and bullet time, The Matrix dropped two sequels back in 2003—Revolutions and Reloaded—before going mostly quiet (unless you count a few video games and a lot of weary debates over which sequel is ‘the one with the motorway chase’). Then, in 2021, the franchise made a slightly baffling comeback with The Matrix Resurrections, which brought back Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss for another round in the simulation. This time, Neo was a video game designer trapped in the mind-bending loop of his own creation—a meta spin that left critics and fans fairly nonplussed.

Jump ahead to 2024, and Warner Bros. drop a surprise: they’re not quite finished with the Oracle’s prophecies. Drew Goddard—he of The Martian and The Cabin in the Woods fame—has been signed on to write and direct the fifth instalment. And then, nothing. Total radio silence for ages—until now.

Merger madness and a new slate

Things have been a bit mad behind the scenes, with Warner Bros. and Paramount merging, which in turn gave rise to Skydance Pictures. The upshot: they’ve let the world peek at their planned film slate, and, lo and behold, The Matrix 5 is officially on it, aiming for release in 2029. Goddard’s still attached, at least for the moment, and the title’s side-by-side with upcoming projects like Barbie 2, a new Jetsons live-action, Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest, another horror flick (The Flood), and—because it’s never too soon for another sequel—Constantine 2, also fronted by Reeves.

• The Matrix 5, written/directed by Drew Goddard, targeting 2029
• Other planned Skydance films: Barbie 2, The Flood, The Jetsons (live-action), Game of Thrones prequel, Constantine 2

Will the original trio return?

This being The Matrix, naturally they’re keeping details locked tighter than Agent Smith’s jawline. There’s no word yet whether Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, or even Laurence Fishburne will be back for more slow-motion showdowns—Fishburne was oddly absent from Resurrections, for those who noticed. After the lukewarm response to the last one, it’s anyone’s guess what direction Goddard and co. might take with the story. Still, with Keanu’s popularity stubbornly refusing to fade, you’d imagine Skydance would want the original gang plugged back in. After all, if you’re going to relaunch an IP pool this big, you might as well do it properly.