The Matrix Resurrections

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...fingers crossed for a press pass...

Exclusive: ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ to hold U.S. premiere at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre
G. Allen Johnson December 3, 2021Updated: December 3, 2021, 3:47 pm


Keanu Reeves walks the streets of San Francisco in “The Matrix Resurrections,” which will make its world premiere at the Castro Theatre on Dec. 18. It will open in theaters and on HBO Max on Dec. 22.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
The fourth installment of the “Matrix” film franchise, and the first in 18 years, is scheduled to make its U.S. premiere at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre on Dec. 18 — four days ahead of its Dec. 22 release in theaters and on HBO Max.

Director Lana Wachowski, who is said to be a fan of the venue, and stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jada Pinkett Smith and Neil Patrick Harris are among those expected to attend the event at the 1,400-seat movie palace that first opened in 1922.

Variety first reported that the premiere would be in San Francisco before a venue was chosen, but a person intimately involved in planning discussions among the Castro Theatre, the city of San Francisco and Warner Bros. confirmed the venue’s participation with The Chronicle on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the premiere.

Warner Bros. declined to comment on this story.


The Castro Theatre will be the site of the U.S. premiere of “The Matrix Resurrections.”
Photo: Stephen Lam / The Chronicle
Tickets for the premiere are not available to the general public, but there will be a “fan zone” near the red carpet where the public can see the film’s stars in person. There are also plans for a display that involves “outside image projection,” the source said. The Castro and Warner Bros. are in “many conversations” with the city about the logistics of the event, including security and street closures, which would include blocking off Castro Street.

Chronicle Quiz: Can you name these San Francisco spots from the ‘Matrix Resurrections’ trailer?

The idea for the original “Matrix” (1999), one of the most influential science fiction films of all time, was inspired by San Francisco, and “The Matrix Resurrections” was shot extensively in the city in the months before the pandemic began. Cameras were spotted in Chinatown and North Beach and at a downtown BART station, and some action sequences around Montgomery and Sansome streets involved Reeves and Moss.

The film makes extensive use of “White Rabbit,” a song released in 1967 on the Jefferson Airplane album “Surrealistic Pillow.” The band got its start in San Francisco in 1965 at a club on Fillmore Street called, yes, the Matrix.



G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ajohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BRfilmsAllen

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Red Pill or Blue? - READ THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS: When Logic and Proportion Have Fallen Sloppy Dead by Gene Ching

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Sep 29, 2022 9:15am PT
Danny Boyle to Direct Dance Adaptation of ‘The Matrix’
By K.J. Yossman

©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection

Danny Boyle is set to direct a dance adaptation of 1999 sci-fi blockbuster “The Matrix.”

Titled “Free Your Mind,” the Warner Bros. Theater Ventures-licensed project is set to debut next October at Factory International, a new arts venue in Manchester, U.K. The production, described as a “large-scale immersive performance,” will serve as the venue’s inaugural show.

“Combining the hip-hop choreography of hundreds of dancers with the latest immersive design, ‘Free Your Mind’ will take audiences on a thrilling journey through ‘The Matrix’ and into a new realm of possibilities,” reads the logline.

“This eye-opening production will stretch across the building’s ultra-flexible spaces, responding to them and harnessing the collective energy of the moment.”


‘Free Your Mind’ Jeremy Coysten @northdesign courtesy of Factory International
It is an unusual move for Boyle, who won an Oscar for “Slumdog Millionaire,” but not totally unexpected. He has turned his hand to a variety of projects over the course of his career, including directing the Olympic Games opening ceremony for the London 2012 games, which involved corralling 7,500 volunteers as well as professional performs in a series of musical and dance numbers. As part of the ceremony, Boyle also famously directed Queen Elizabeth II and Daniel Craig in a James Bond-themed skit.

Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante is composing the music for the dance show while Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy is choreographing. Boyle’s longtime collaborator Tracey Seaward will produce. Poet playwright Sabrina Mahfouz (“Noughts & Crosses”) and artist Es Devlin are also on board to write and provide large scale sculptures, respectively. The show was commissioned by Factory International.

“The Matrix,” directed by the Wachowskis, was first released in 1999 and spawned three sequels. The most recent, “The Matrix Resurrections,” launched last year.

I'd watch this...

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I'll split this into an indie thread later, when it gets closer.

Apr 3, 2024 9:30am PT
‘Matrix 5’ in the Works With Drew Goddard as Director, Lana Wachowski as Executive Producer

By Rebecca Rubin

©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Warner Bros. is going back to the Matrix.

The studio announced that a fifth “Matrix” movie is in development. It’ll be the first installment without Lana or Lily Wachowski as directors. Instead, “The Martian” screenwriter Drew Goddard will handle filmmaking duties. He will also write the script and produce with his partner at Goddard Textiles, Sarah Esberg. Lana Wachowski, who helmed the most recent “Matrix” installment, 2021’s “Resurrections,” is attached as an executive producer.

It’s not clear who from the “Matrix” universe — Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss have anchored all of the prior movies as Neo and Trinity, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined in the most recent iteration — will return.

Plot details haven’t been revealed, but Warner Bros. Motion Pictures president of production Jesse Ehrman teases that the story will advance the fantasy world without straying too far from what made the series a success.

“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,” Ehrman said in a statement. “The entire team at Warner Bros. Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making this new ‘Matrix’ film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis’ spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”

Goddard was nominated for an Oscar for writing “The Martian,” the sci-fi adaptation directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. His other feature film credits include writing “Cloverfield” and “World War Z” and serving as writer-director on “The Cabin in the Woods” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”

“It is not hyperbole to say ‘The Matrix’ films changed both cinema and my life,” Goddard said. “Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”

“The Matrix,” which kicked off the franchise in 1999, is considered one of the most influential science-fiction movies of all time. It inspired three sequels, 2003’s “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” and 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections.” The fourth installment, which arrived after an 18-year gap and was the first to be directed solely by Lana, was a massive box office disappointment. That’s partly because “The Matrix Resurrections,” like Warner Bros. entire 2021 slate, was available simultaneously on HBO Max for no extra charge. It grossed just $159 million worldwide against its $190 million budget.