The Matrix 5 announced: resurrected, reloaded, refreshed with Drew Goddard directing

The Matrix 5 has just been announced -- and no, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke -- with Drew Goddard directing, with the Wachowskis not directing a Matrix movie for the first time in franchise history.

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Warner Bros. has officially greenlit The Matrix 5, with the only news of the movie being the name of the director and that a Matrix movie will go into production. Goddard directed one of my favorite surprise movies from years ago, Cabin in the Woods, and will direct The Matrix 5.

The Matrix Resurrections was released last year after Lana Wachowski solo-directed the fourth installment in the franchise with returning stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Reeves and Moss play Neo and Trinity, respectively, who could reprise their roles, but I'd like to see Hugo Weaving return -- at least in some form -- as Agent Smith, as he was sorely missed in The Matrix Resurrections.

At the end of The Matrix Resurrections, Neo and Trinity beat the Analyst -- played by Neil Patrick Harris -- but Trinity was the one in this reality, not Neo. He was heavily weakened from the Matrix trilogy, with only Force-like powers that could stop bullets and shift rockets fired from a helicopter. Trinity was The One at the end.

Neo and Trinity state their intentions to reshape the Matrix into a better place, so we could see The Matrix 5 continue on from there and take a more serious route versus the tongue-in-cheek, fourth-wall-breaking that was in The Matrix Resurrections. We could expect to see Jonathan Groff return as Agent Smith, but it would be great to see Hugo Weaving return in at least some form in The Matrix 5 as Smith.

Warner Bros. executive Jesse Ehrman said: "Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25-years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters. The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making his new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis' spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio".