The Matrix 4 cast signs up for EIGHT WEEKS of additional shooting

While there is no clear-cut answer as to when film and TV production can resume, Warner Bros. is apparently betting on July to resume filming on The Matrix 4.

Cast and crew members have reportedly signed extensions to be put on hold until at least July 6, according to a new report from Variety. 

It is still unclear if filming will actually start by then or not, or if Warner Bros. may be forced to push its May 21, 2021 release date yet.

Warner Bros. announced this sequel in October 2019, with Lana Wachowski returning to direct from a script she co-wrote with Sense8 collaborators David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon.

Keanu Reeves was set to return as the iconic Neo, alongside CarrieAnne Moss as Trinity and Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe.

While very little was revealed about the story, a number of new cast members have come aboard, including Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra and Yahya Abudl-Mateen III.

Filming started this February in San Francisco, with a number of fans spotting Reeves on the set while production was under way.

The production had also scheduled filming to take place in Wachowski’s hometown of Chicago, and they were just about to start filming at Babelsberg Studio in Germany when COVID-19 hit.

Production was shut down in mid-March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic spreading. 

If production does in fact start back up in July, there is no indication if the filmmakers will return to Germany where they were originally supposed to film.

The Matrix debuted in March 1999, and was an instant hit, earning $171.4 million domestic and $465.3 million worldwide, from a $63 million budget.

Lana Wachowski wrote and directed alongside sibling Lily, though Lily did not return for Matrix 4 due to her work on Showtime’s Work in Progress. 

The Wachowskis and their cast returned for two sequels which were shot back-to-back, 2002’s The Matrix Reloaded and 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions.

The Matrix Reloaded took in $281.5 million domestic  and $741.8 million worldwide from a $150 million budget.

The Matrix Revolutions dipped quite a bit from its predecessor, earning $139.9 million domestic and $427.3 million worldwide from a $150 million budget.