Do we finally have a title for the long-awaited The Matrix 4, or have we fallen prey to the simulation? It’s unfortunately a bit of a purple pill.
Twitter swirled with rumours and speculation that the latest instalment in the Wachowski sisters’ franchise was to be titled Matrix Resurrections. The supposed leak originated from a post shared to Instagram by Shunika Terry, a makeup artist on the film. The photo showed off a gift package she had received, and which included a note from writer-director Lana Wachowski and producer James McTeigue, presumably thanking Terry for her work “in the making of Matrix Resurrections”.
However, the post was quickly taken down and Warner Bros. soon responded to rumours by asserting that the film remains untitled. This suggests that Resurrections was just the title being used during production; if you’ll recall, Project Ice Cream was the working title being used at the time of a casting call for extras in the San Francisco area. Resurrections certainly rolls off the tongue more smoothly, with the added benefit of sounding less like the codename for a CIA-sponsored foreign coup. It also matches the previous sequel titles, Reloaded and Revolutions (is Kris Jenner pitching these?).
Resurrections also makes sense as a potential reference to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss returning in starring roles as Neo and Trinity, despite both characters dying at the end of the original trilogy. In addition, even if Matrix 4 is officially untitled, Matrix Resurrections may well end up a top candidate for the final title. Either way, fans shouldn’t have to wait much longer for a confirmed title, with the fourth instalment’s planned release date landing it in theatres and HBO Max on December 22nd, 2021.