It’s already mind-melting enough that co-writer/director Lana Wachowski is making another Matrix sequel. Going further down the rabbit hole, the first trailers to what would eventually be known as The Matrix Resurrections have already sparked many questions in die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Prepare to fall even further into the mystery of Keanu Reeves’ return as Neo, thanks to a new Matrix Resurrections video that combines the original movie with a ton of new, trippy footage.
Focusing in hard on the concept of déjà vu in The Matrix, Warner Bros. dropped a new tease to the mysteries that await, as well as the date and time that we can all finally buy tickets. Transitioning between moments and characters seen in the original trilogy, and the pieces of The Matrix Resurrections that link heavily into those references, one thought is constantly repeated. It appears that there’s a glitch in The Matrix, and it’s the cause of everything we’re about to see turned on its head; which involves new incarnations for some characters, and fresh looks for others.
As far as those fresh looks are concerned, we already knew that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was playing the re-skinned version of Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus; and he definitely gets some very familiar moments in this new footage. However, we haven’t seen any signs of Lambert Wilson’s returning character, the infamous Merovingian...until now. Courtesy of the image below, you’ll see that the man once clothed in the finest suits has changed quite a bit in the almost two decades since we last saw him:
That’s probably the toughest before/after comparison we’ve seen since Mr. White went from well tailored big shot in Quantum of Solace to running for his life in Spectre. The image above doesn't even do it total justice, so if you really want to experience The Merovingian's ultimate downgrade, skip to around 00:22 in the trailer and let the moment play out. That's nothing compared our latest looks at whoever Jonathan Groff is playing in The Matrix Resurrections, which connect with two huge figures in The Matrix's iconography.
Groff's still unnamed character is shown overlapping with both Neo and Agent Smith in The Matrix 4's latest trailer. The choice Neo moment that we see presented is a rather interesting, as well as what other pieces of the puzzle seem to suggest about this shadowy figure. Take a look at this segment, which is very reminiscent of 1999 history:
Groff seems to have the melting mouth moment that Neo encountered in the early phases of his journey in The Matrix, but we also find him facing off against Mr. Anderson in the big train station fight that happens towards the end of the 1999 classic. Only this time, he doesn't look to be in the role of Neo. Such overlapping signals play to the theory that Jonathan Groff could inherit the role of an Agent Smith protagonist, as well as the suggestion that “The One” in this revolution of Matrix code could have broken bad. Of course, none of this is confirmed yet, and we’re left to ask even more questions, in addition to the ones we already have, connected to this potential mind bender.
As we inch closer to the release of the latest Matrix mystery, there’s still plenty of time for wild theories, and collecting of various clips that are leaked out through international marketing campaigns. The pieces are out there, and fans only need to assemble them to come closer to the truth. Knowing how good the marketing machine behind The Matrix Resurrection’s predecessors was at keeping secrets, that’s probably still won’t be enough to uncover the full scope of what’s going on. That’s something you can’t just tell fans, as they’ll have to experience it for themselves.
The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max in simultaneous release on December 22; with tickets going on sale as of 9 AM PT, on Monday, December 6th. Not only is that a perfect palindrome, but it’s also a fitting strategy for a movie that’s going to have people discussing plenty of theories, hot takes, and general questions for some time after. Déjà vu, much like The Matrix, has us all in its hold again, and it might be a good time to revisit The Matrix Trilogy, which is currently streaming on HBO Max.
