It might be hard to believe, but yes, writer/director Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix 4 is very much a real thing. As production supposedly underway at the moment, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss being spotted shooting in San Francisco, the world will have its chance to jack back into the world of The Matrix movies next May.
While we’ve got some cast members for The Matrix 4, both old and new, already confirmed to be in this new sequel, there are some that are either unconfirmed or not returning that make for interesting news. For our sake, we’ll be focusing on those characters that are unconfirmed, but could always return to the fold with this third Matrix sequel.
Apologies to you Agent Smith fans out there, as Hugo Weaving’s recent announcement that he cannot reprise his role means he won’t be discussed in this particular guide. But there’s still plenty of characters that could return, based on who’s RSVP’d for this latest Matrix movie; so let’s get into who we think could return from “The Trilogy.”
The Oracle (Mary Alice)
As one of the two pivotal figures in The Matrix movies, The Oracle has served as an important fixture of The Matrix itself. Prophesizing the coming of “The One” is her main function, as this pseudo-biblical story helps keep the spirit of free will alive. She’s kind of a requirement for The Matrix to work in the way that it always has.
With actor Mary Alice taking over the role after original actor Gloria Foster had passed away, this new era of The Matrix is more than likely going to need that same sort of structure. So whether The Oracle retains her current appearance, or somehow finds herself changing again, her character is going to be vital to the future of The Matrix.
Seraph (Collin Chou)
If The Oracle is going to return for The Matrix 4, then there’s a good chance she’s got a good reason to stick around. And with whatever that purpose may be, she’ll probably need someone to protect her from the new villains that will want to silence her. Which means Collin Chou’s Seraph should definitely be back to protect her.
As his name and unofficial title have pegged him as a guardian angel of sorts to The Oracle, the structure of The Matrix would basically call Seraph back into active duty to protect her yet again. Though, depending on how The Matrix 4 handles the return of characters played by actors who have aged another 20 years since that The Matrix Revolutions, we might see Seraph as more of a passive character than an ass kicker.
The Architect (Helmut Bakaitis)
At the end of The Matrix Revolutions, we saw both The Oracle and The Architect meeting at the end of one era of The Matrix, which was also the beginning of the next. Returning after his introduction as the mastermind who created each Matrix, and in turn each Neo, actor Helmut Bakaitis’ character was part exposition handler and part of the polar power structure of this universe, with The Oracle sitting on the other end.
With this final moments of the original trilogy re-establishing the uneasy truce between The Architect and The Oracle, he told his opposite number that she should hope to never see him again. If The Matrix movies have taught us anything, we’re probably going to see these two meet yet again, with humanity standing in the crosshairs of their eternal battle between free will and determinism.
Ghost (Anthony Wong)
First mate to The Logos and its captain, Ghost (Anthony Wong) would serve a vital role during the side quests that incorporated tie ins like The Animatrix short “Final Flight of The Osiris,” as well as the video games Enter The Matrix and The Matrix Online. Teamed with captain Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith), the two would serve as the bridge between what took place on and off screen in The Matrix universe.
As there’s a good chance that Niobe will be returning, per the news of recent talks taking place with Jada Pinkett-Smith, The Matrix 4 just might see The Logos in active duty yet again. While her pairing with Morpheus saw their characters intertwined romantically, First Mate Ghost has actually continued to serve with his captain in the lore built into The Matrix Online. So we just might see these two still in the good fight, whatever that may be in this current era, after all this time.
Persephone (Monica Bellucci)
If there’s a theme that can be relied on to crop up throughout The Matrix’s storyline, it’s that of duology. With a lot of paired relationships being present in this system that’s supposed to be in perfect balance, when one character is around, another is bound to be not too far off.
Recent news has indicated that Lambert Wilson’s Merovingian could be returning to The Matrix 4, which only means that his wife Persephone, played by Monica Bellucci, could be another returning character. While it’s not totally certain if The Merovingian will have cleaned up his act in this new round of storytelling, we couldn’t imagine him returning without his supportive, yet disdainful, wife. It’s just perfect balance.
Sati (Tanveer K. Atwal)
Now here’s where things could get interesting for The Matrix 4, as if Tanveer K. Atwal’s Sati were to be incorporated into this new sequel, she’d be the key for a whole bunch of other characters to join her. Beginning life as an exiled program with no purpose, Sati eventually found herself under the care of The Oracle, who believed she was important to the future of The Matrix.
With her last moment in the franchise so far seeing her create a beautiful sunrise in honor of our fallen heroes, and her cryptic role of importance in The Matrix movies, Sati could serve a lot of functions. She could do everything from be the new Oracle in training to even becoming the new “One,” like Neo before her. Whatever she ends up doing, Sati’s incorporation means that at the very least The Oracle should return – though that could also require The Architect and Seraph also follow suit.
Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne)
The last potential returning character to The Matrix 4’s story is a pretty important one, as Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus was a key freedom fighter, believer of Neo’s power, and the trainer of the would-be savior to The Matrix. As there have been rumors of his return, potentially as a younger version of himself, it sounds like the story for this Matrix sequel will have Morpheus return in some fashion.
But if there’s a younger version of Morpheus, that could mean there’s flashbacks told by the older variant of the character. Which means that there’s some untold history that just might play into the new adventure at hand in The Matrix 4. If that’s the case, let’s hope those flashbacks from a fruitful life with Niobe, rather than after some horrific first act death that sees us saying goodbye to an old friend.
The Matrix 4 is rebooting this classic franchise in new and exciting ways we’ve only begun to dream of. With plot details under wraps, and young leads Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jessica Henwick representing two of the new faces coming into this epic story’s second act, the future is looking quite bright in the green machine code we’re so used to seeing.
We won’t need to wait too long to see what’s going on as The Matrix 4 is slated to open on May 21, 2021; which could very well be Keanu Reeves Day, if this and John Wick 4 both keep the same release date.
