Matrix 4 release date confirmed, and it's the same day John Wick 4 is out

The Matrix
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Matrix 4, directed by Lana Wachowski, has been given a release date by Warner Bros – and it's the same date that John Wick 4, also starring Keanu Reeves, is currently scheduled: May 21, 2021. 

While it seems like viewers will have to make a difficult choice about how they'd like to enjoy the work of Keanu Reeves that day, it's likely that one of them will move their date by a few weeks when we're this far out from release. 

Otherwise, May 21 2021 will come to be known as Keanu Day... which is fine too. 

Not much is known about The Matrix 4 apart from the director and cast, as fans of the franchise (well, first movie) are clamoring for any tidbits of information about how this new chapter will fit into the saga. 

Joining Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in their original roles as Neo and Trinity will be Watchmen's Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Iron Fist's Jessica Henwick. Wachowski co-wrote the script with Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. 

While the last two movies, Reloaded and Revolutions, were dragged down by an overloaded plot and boring sequences set in the human colony of Zion, The Matrix remains a fictional universe with a lot of potential. 

(If you've never watched the gorgeous and varied animated shorts that make up The Animatrix, that might convince you there are more stories to tell in that world.)

The Flash sprints to 2022

FTaika Waititi's adaptation of the manga Akira was also moved off the release schedule. That project has existed in one form or another since 2002, and Waititi is next working on Thor: Love and Thunder, featuring Natalie Portman's turn as Lady Thor. 

By that point, it will have been over six years since Miller's Flash was introduced in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Numerous writers and directors have worked on the project – but now it's under the auspices of Andy Muschetti, the director of the recent IT movies. 

Finally, Taika Waititi's adaptation of the manga Akira was also moved off the release schedule. That project has existed in one form or another since 2002, and Waititi is next working on Thor: Love and Thunder, featuring Natalie Portman's turn as Lady Thor. 

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.