Confirmation that The Matrix 5 is happening begs several questions about the franchise’s future – but Reeves and Moss’ future shouldn’t be in doubt.

News that The Matrix 5 is in development raises several issues around the franchise’s future story, but whatever direction the movie takes, it’s almost impossible for the film to replace Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Ever since the original Matrix, Reeves and Moss have played a pivotal role. As Neo and Trinity, the pair have arguably been the most important forces shaping the narrative, with their combined presence only growing as the story has progressed. While the two actors’ age makes their ongoing place in the saga uncertain, The Matrix Resurrections provided a clear warning about the consequences of replacing them altogether.

Although the details of The Matrix 5‘s story are unknown at this stage, it’s already clear that the movie will be very different from the franchise’s four previous installments. The film will be the first in the series not to have the involvement of either of the Wachowski sisters, with The Cabin in the Woods and Bad Times at the El Royalewriter/director Drew Goddard taking over directorial duties. This approach suggests a potentially radical new direction for The Matrix series. However, if The Matrix 5 serves as a true sequel to Resurrections, the franchise has already shown that replacing Reeves and Moss is a bad idea.

The Matrix Resurrections’ Character Replacements Didn’t Work

One of the most controversial aspects of The Matrix Resurrections was the decision to replace iconic franchise characters with new actors. Although recurring figures like Morpheus and Agent Smith made a return alongside Neo and Trinity, original cast members Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving did not feature. Instead, the pair were replaced by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jonathan Groff respectively, with the original actors only appearing via the use of archival footage.

Within the context of the story, the decision to use different actors for existing characters made some narrative sense. However, given Smith and Morpheus’ enduring legacy and Weaving and Fishburne’s celebrated performances, the change ended up being an unwelcome distraction. For all the merits of Groff and Abdul-Mateen’s performances, it became inevitable that fans and critics would contrast them with what came before. As a result, Weaving and Fishburne’s absence left a glaring void in the movie that detracted from the somewhat revisionist story, inviting unhelpful comparisons instead of enjoyment on the movie’s own terms.

Removing Neo And Trinity From The Matrix 5 Would Make Resurrections’ Problems Worse

The character replacements in The Matrix Resurrections weren’t the only problem with the movie. The film’s meta-story elements and critical self-commentary proved divisive with both audiences and critics – exemplified by Resurrections’ mixed scores on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. However, the distraction caused by replacing iconic and familiar figures in the franchise with a range of new faces meant that other issues with the film were compounded. For viewers already skeptical of the bold story, a radical reappraisal of popular preexisting characters became just another problematic element within the film.

It follows that if replacing Morpheus and Smith in the film was, at best, divisive, swapping out the franchise’s two main characters in a similar way would only exacerbate the problem. Whether The Matrix 5 keeps Neo and Trinity as part of the story but changes the actors (as Resurrections did with Fishburne and Weaving) or replaces the pair altogether with characters who fulfill a similar function, audiences will inevitably compare whatever comes next to Reeves and Moss. Given how distracting Morpheus and Smith’s character changes were in Resurrections, such an approach would be even more unwelcome in The Matrix 5.

The Matrix 5 Without Neo And Trinity Would Ruin Resurrections’ Ending

Not only would a Matrix 5 movie without Neo and Trinity repeat Resurrections’ mistakes, but it would also risk ruining the film’s potentially significant ending. After a final confrontation with Neil Patrick Harris’ Analyst, Neo and Trinity discover they have the power to completely reshape the Matrix as they see fit – fulfilling the prophecy Morpheus made about The One way back in the series’ first installment. As a result, the story is now perfectly set up to see how the pair set out to remake the world, how their relationship with the Machines might change, and whether or not there is hope for humanity beyond the virtual prison of the Matrix itself.
Following The Matrix Resurrections‘ ending, Neo and Trinity are at the heart of all these questions. Whatever the audience’s reaction to the film’s bold new storyline, there’s no denying that this conclusion sets up multiple intriguing mysteries for The Matrix 5 to answer. However, it’s difficult to see how any of these questions will be addressed if Neo and Trinity are not involved in the story. Since the pair have been clearly established as the de facto rulers of the Matrix, forgetting about them altogether would completely undermine Resurrections. Including them in the next chapter is therefore an unavoidable limitation on The Matrix 5‘s story.

Only One Matrix 5 Story Can Avoid Neo And Trinity

The Matrix Resurrections’ ending made it clear that any Matrix story set chronologically after the fourth film needs to resolve the new issues around Neo and Trinity. However, while any film telling the next chapter in the story needs Reeves and Moss to succeed, it’s possible that a prequel film could avoid using the characters and the actors. The Matrix franchise has already teased the existence of earlier versions of the interactive simulation, where Neo’s forebears struggled against humanity’s Machine oppressors. A story along these lines, therefore, could avoid The Matrix 5’s otherwise awkward Neo and Trinity problem.

There are problems with pursuing a Matrix prequel instead of a more traditional follow-up. For one thing, such a story wouldn’t resolve any of the new issues thrown up by Ressurections’ ending and would still leave audiences wondering what Neo and Trinity’s new version of the Matrix might look like. However, if Drew Goddard feels that The Matrix 5 needs to move beyond Neo and Trinity, setting the new movie in the series’ past might be the best way to avoid the most awkward issues thrown up by the pair’s absence.