The Matrix 4: How will Keanu Reeves return as Neo?

Expect there to be a glitch of some kind

In news that surprised the film world, Keanu Reeves is officially returning for a fourth Matrix film.

Months after initial reports and sixteen years after the third entry in the series, The Matrix Revolutions, Warner Bros has announced that Lana Wachowski will write, direct and produce a new instalment that'll star Reeves and Trinity actor Carrie Ann Moss.

“Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends,” Wachowski said in a statement.

This is all good – but a big question mark surrounds how Reeves and Moss could possibly return considering the events of Revolutions.

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

The Matrix Revolutions ended with Neo succumbing to wounds inflicted by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), his body being carried away by the Machines that had provided him with a entry to the Matrix. Earlier in the film, Trinity died in a hovercraft crash.

It should be highlighted that the all-knowing Oracle (Mary Alice) tells a young girl named Sati (Tanveer K Atwal) that she thinks they will see Neo again. In many ways, this moment could be considered the perfect setup for Neo's return.

Quite how this happens is a mystery, but revisiting the climax of Revolutions provides food for thought. During Neo's battle with Agent Smith, the leader of the Machines sends a surge of energy into his body, which causes the Neo-Smith clone to be deleted. Perhaps there was – wait for it – a glitch in the Matrix and another clone existed that didn't get destroyed? If this is the case, Reeves most likely won't be playing the Neo that we watched in the first three films.

Perhaps Neo won't be the main character in the new Matrix film and will instead be an Oracle-like character visited by the new lead (earlier reports stated Michael B Jordan was being circled). Maybe this clone of Neo has created his own Inception-style world in which a version of Trinity exists?

A possible, if extremely unlikely, theory is that Lana Wachowski will attempt to rewrite the events of sequels The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. They weren't received particularly well – even if Reloaded has lately been re-assessed as a decent action film – so a decision to ignore them could be the route Wachowski will go down.

Considering the zany plot line of The Matrix, it shouldn't be too hard to convince audiences that the return of both Neo and Trinity is authentic. Remember that this is a universe where some pretty outlandish things exist, so a gentle tweak of the rules could pave the way for Reeves and Moss' respective reappearances.

Fun fact: Reeves wasn’t the first choice to play Neo in the Matrix trilogy: Will Smith was approached for the role and recently revealed why he turned it down.

The Matrix 4 will go into production in 2020.