Summary
- Next Matrix movie may be helmed by Drew Goddard, possible reboot.
- Rumor hints Ariana Grande may star in Matrix 5, role details unknown.
- Grande expresses interest in acting, potential shift from music career.
While there hasn’t been another entry in The Matrix franchise since 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections, it looks like there will be another installment in the not-too-distant future. The next movie in the long-running series that was initially thought to be ending with the trilogy will be directed by Drew Goddard, and it looks like the next film is starting to add to its cast.
The Matrix was released in 1999 to widespread acclaim, with The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions following in 2003. They didn’t receive anywhere near as warm a response as the original, and Lana returned to the property (minus Lilly) in 2021 for The Matrix Resurrections. However, that fourth movie struggled to strike a chord with fans and was widely deemed a disappointment despite the excitement that it generated when it was first announced. That’s why there is some who believe that Goddard’s installment might end up being a reboot, rather than a continuation of the film that reunited Neo and Trinity, one last time.
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The Matrix 5 Could Add A Musical Superstar
According to industry insider @MyTimeToShineH (via SFFGazette.com), the next Matrix movie might have inked a deal with Wicked star Ariana Grande. However, details are very scarce with the tip being just one line at the moment from the insider’s paid newsletter “[Grande is] eyed for a leading role in the next Matrix movie from Drew Goddard.”
There isn’t a great deal to go on nor any real indication as to how dependable this rumor could possibly be. It’s also worth noting that it’s possible that Grande might be part of the film but not have as big a big a role as currently thought. There are plenty of roles in The Matrix movies that aren’t as big as Neo or Trinity or Morbius. If she is indeed going to take on a lead role, whether it be as as villain or as a hero, it would mark a huge step forward for the singer’s acting career after her critically acclaimed performance in Wicked.
Of course, Grande has also hinted in the past that she’d like to transition from making music at the rate she has so far into doing more acting. At the same time she’d almost certainly need to get bigger roles than she got before Wicked. “I think I love acting; I love musical theater,” she said at one point last year. “Reconnecting with this part of myself…I love comedy, and it heals me to do that – finding roles to use these parts of myself.”
At the same time, even Ariana Grande was talking about acting in musical theater and movies more than she was talking about appearing in action films. The fifth edition of The Matrix movie was almost certainly not on her horizon when she talked about cutting back on her musical career. It will certainly be interesting to see if this rumor could possibly be true and what Goddard has in store for the mega-singing star in a story of humanity going head-to-head against sentient machines.
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