We’re no stranger to Hollywood’s fascination at rebooting long dormant franchises at this stage, with quite a large number actually being quite good (Kong: Skull Island being the most recent example. Read our four star review here). But this latest piece of reboot news personally feels like a step too far, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that there are plans to reboot the ground breaking The Matrix with screenwriter Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk, X-Men: The Last Stand) in talks to write the treatment of how this new adventure will pan out. What’s more, the studio already have their eye on Michael B. Jordan as their potential leading man, even though the project is little more than a twinkle in some executive's eye at this stage.
Warner Bros. are said to be looking for the blessing of The Matrix creators The Wachoski’s for this new reboot, as their stamp of approval would go a long to appease fans on this risky venture. And it is a risky venture. The Matrix is an important, groundbreaking movie that is still relevant almost 18 years on. It revolutionised special effects and how action set pieces were shot, and the number of movies that have cripped or down right copied its style is incalculable. The movie, and to an extent it’s ambitious sequels, was lightning in a bottle, and I have a hard time believing that can be captured again. There is nothing new a Matrix reboot can do, no new technology it can pioneer. That’s why you would reboot The Matrix, any other reason an it would just join the queue of blockbusters marching their way in and out of cinemas. There’s been so many Matrix-alikes over the years, that a reboot, in my mind, is incredibly pointless.
Warner Bros. are said to be looking for the blessing of The Matrix creators The Wachoski’s for this new reboot, as their stamp of approval would go a long to appease fans on this risky venture. And it is a risky venture. The Matrix is an important, groundbreaking movie that is still relevant almost 18 years on. It revolutionised special effects and how action set pieces were shot, and the number of movies that have cripped or down right copied its style is incalculable. The movie, and to an extent it’s ambitious sequels, was lightning in a bottle, and I have a hard time believing that can be captured again. There is nothing new a Matrix reboot can do, no new technology it can pioneer. That’s why you would reboot The Matrix, any other reason an it would just join the queue of blockbusters marching their way in and out of cinemas. There’s been so many Matrix-alikes over the years, that a reboot, in my mind, is incredibly pointless.
