The science fiction genre was forever changed as a result of The Wachowski’s groundbreaking blockbuster The Matrix and its subsequent sequels. The trilogy revolutionized visual effects and bullet-timing, which was emulated countless times by other filmmakers across the years. Keanu Reeves is back as Neo in the new sequel The Matrix Resurrections, and gleefully revealed his “craziest’ stunt for the new movie.
The generations of Matrix fans were thrilled that the franchise is heading back to theaters with Resurrections, especially since Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss were back as Neo and Trinity. Fans can’t wait to see them kicking ass and taking names, although there was one wild stunt that Reeves reveals was his craziest. He had to:
Jump off a building. I’m going to guess around 46 stories. Yeah, I jumped off a building.
Yeah, that sounds pretty crazy. In an age where so much action and stunts are done via visual effects, both Keanu Reeves and his co-star Carrie-Anne Moss physically jumped off a building for The Matrix Resurrections. We’ll just have to wait and see how thrilling the sequence looks on the big screen.
Keanu Reeves’ comments about his Matrix Resurrections stunt comes to us from a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. With his return to Neo just weeks away, anticipation for the mysterious blockbuster is at a fever pitch. While the public is in the dark regarding the actual plot of the movie, he definitely made headlines when filming that wild skyscraper jump.
Later in that same interview, Stephen Colbert asked why Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss simply didn’t rely on visual effects to make such an insane Matrix Resurrections stunt happen. The John Wick icon got honest, saying:
Because it’s Lana Wachowski and it’s the Matrix and you need natural light, and you want to do it ‘real.’ I mean, there’s wires, so anyway, Carrie-Anne and I grab hands and we leapt off a building. [Heights], they get me a little -- what happens when you get old and you’re around heights and you start getting attracted to like wanting to jump? What is that?
Well, there you have it. It sounds like both Lana Wachowski and the cast of The Matrix Resurrections wanted to make the stunts feel as real as possible. What’s more, Keanu Reeves eventually got a kick out of jumping from such a great height with his co-star Carrie-Anne Moss. And that’s why he’s “The One”
Jumping off of a building sounds terrifying to do once, but since The Matrix Resurrections is such a massive blockbuster, Keanu Reeves wasn’t able to get off so easily. Instead, he took a number of takes for the stunt, ensuring that the best possible coverage was acquired for the theatrical cut. While discussing it with Stephen Colbert, Reeves shared:
We wanted to do it in the perfect light, in the morning. So, we did it, I would say 19-20 times over the course of a couple days. To prepare for something like that [Carrie-Anne] speaks a lot about preparing mentally for it, and I was doing that too. By the time you get there, I mean my heart rate was a little raised, but then after the first time, you can’t think of the possibilities, of the fear. You have to block it, not block it, but deal with it, absorb it. Just be there and ‘do.’ And that’s what we did.
Of course, this is far from the only insane stunt expected to occur throughout the mysterious runtime of The Matrix Resurrections. Lana Wachowski also set off wild explosions in San Francisco, while the trailers show some of the epic action filmed by the likes of newcomers Jessica Henwick and Jonathan Groff. As a reminder, you can check it out below,
As previously mentioned, anticipation for The Matrix Resurrections has been steadily building, especially thanks to the cryptic but thrilling trailers. The cast and crew have been careful to guard the secrets of the project, while also praising Lana Wachowski’s vision for the iconic property.
The Matrix Resurrections will hit theaters and HBO Max on December 22nd. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
