2020 was a wild year, which made a lasting impact on the entertainment industry. Sets around the world were shut down for months, and a number of movies were pushed back as a result. This includes Lana Wachowski's The Matrix 4, which will see the return of franchise favorites like Keanu Reeves. The cast is filled out by a number of familiar faces, including the talented Neil Patrick Harris. And he recently explained why the massive blockbuster still felt intimate.
Principal photography on The Matrix 4 wrapped months ago, with the cast and crew reportedly having a wrap party overseas. The movie's contents and premise are a complete mystery, as the cast has been keeping their cards close to the chest. Still, Neil Patrick Harris recently explained what it was like filming the hotly anticipated sci-fi movie. In his words,
It didn’t feel large because it felt like she was in her sweet spot, which was filming on the fly, filming using natural light. Sometimes you’d sit around for an hour waiting for the clouds to clear, and then you’d quickly film. You’d film pages at a time in 30 minutes and then be done.
Well, this does indeed feel intimate. While The Matrix 4 is expected to have plenty of wild action and stunts, the set still felt small to Neil Patrick Harris. This may be partly due to the strict COVID health guidelines, or simply the way that Lana Wachoski is approaching her return to the iconic property.
Neil Patrick Harris' comments to Variety are sure to be encouraging for moviegoers who might be nervous about The Matrix 4. It's been a long time since audiences jacked into the franchise, and the narrative was seemingly brought to a conclusion with The Matrix Revolutions. But if Harris found the filming experience to be so unique, perhaps it'll result in especially strong performances.
The original Matrix movie changed the film world forever, as the Wachowskis debuted cutting edge cinematography that has been emulated countless times in the years since. The allegorical battle against machines remains part of the pop culture landscape, and it should be interesting to see exactly what's brought to the table all these years later.
Later in his same interview, Neil Patrick Harris opened up about a perceived shift to Lana Wachowski's work on The Matrix 4. As he continued explaining the unique nature of the set, the Tony and Emmy winning actor shared:
You would think that a giant movie would be 100% storyboarded, animatics, and we’d be checking off shots. I think she lived that before three times over, and I would suspect that she wants to do things her own way now. It wasn’t often that you felt that you were doing something gigantic because she made it feel very intimate.
It sounds like its going to be a very different Matrix when the franchise comes back to the big screen. While Neil Patrick Harris has been able to speak about the experience of filming on set, fans are eager for any indication of the plot. And considering the film is meant to arrive in theaters later this year, audiences are already fiending for footage.
Neil Patrick Harris is one of the many notable actors will be making their debut in The Matrix 4. Other newcomers include recent Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones), Jonathan Groff (Hamilton) and Priyanka Chopra (Batwatch).
The Matrix 4 is currently expected to arrive in theaters and HBO Max on December 22nd. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
