John Wick Director Explains How The Matrix 4 Is Approaching Action

Neo fighting Agent Smith

The Matrix franchise made a huge impact on the world of film when the original trilogy was released in the 2000's. The Wachowskis debuted cutting edge technology, with visuals that were emulated by countless action flicks in the years since. Lana Wachowski is bringing the beloved property back to theaters with The Matrix 4, with John Wick director Chad Stahelski also returning to the franchise to contribute to its action. And he recently teased what to expect once Neo and Trinity jack-in again.

Chad Stahelski's career started as a stunt man, and he served as Keanu Reeves' double in The Matrix trilogy, while also landing the gig of stunt co-ordinator. Now a celebrated director with the John Wick franchise, Stahelski is collaborating with Lana Wachowski on the mysterious fourth Matrix movie. He given a few brief quotes about The Matrix 4 and its action, praising Wachowski saying:

First of all, creatively, Lana's one of the most unique people I've ever worked with in the industry. Just a fantastic mind. She's a great director who loves to direct her own action. I mean, with her, you never discuss an action sequence. It's the sequence. You hear me say it all the time; you probably hear Dave Leitch say it all the time. Action and story don't cut; they don't separate. So you have somebody like Lana, who's going, ‘We're going to do this and this and this.’ She's got some really great ideas.

Can this sequel just get here already? Chad Stahelski has nothing but praise for Lana Wachowski, who is returning to direct The Matrix 4 following the completion of her Netflix series Sense8. It's her unique perspective that made The Matrix such a sensation, and that'll seemingly be obvious with the upcoming fourth movie.

Chad Stahelski's comments to THR help peel back the curtain on the mysterious contents of The Matrix 4. There's no telling what the movie will be about, but it'll somehow resurrect the likes of Neo and Trinity from their apparent deaths in The Matrix Revolutions. Lana Wachowski has assembled a killer cast of new and familiar faces, and it should be interesting to see how the ensemble is utilized.

The Matrix 4 was in the midst of filming when sets around the world were shut down. Chad Stahelski got the chance to be on set, with the movie filming in San Francisco and doing some absolutely wild stunts in the process. And the movie's action will be reportedly especially powerful due to the way its connected to The Matrix 4's story. Now we just have to figure out what exactly the story is.

The Matrix franchise is currently streaming on Netflix, and The Matrix 4 has a release date of May 21, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.