Warner Bros. reportedly considered creating ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ without Lana Wachowski at the helm. Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski rose to prominence as the masterminds behind the original 1999 ‘The Matrix’. The pair went on to helm the following two sequels, ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions’.
The sister's other titles include Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, and Jupiter Ascending. The pair began to work more independently following their Netflix series ‘Sense8’, which concluded on the streaming platform in 2018. Lana Wachowski served as the sole director and co-writer of the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise, which was released on December 22. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss returned to star in the new picture and were joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jonathan Groff.
In an interview, ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ producer James McTeigue admitted that Warner Bros. considered assigning a different director to the new film. McTeigue, who has worked with the Wachowski's on numerous projects, including the previous ‘Matrix’ films, said that the "money making capability" of the ‘Matrix 4’ meant there was "always talk." He said that Warner Bros. was quick to accept when Lana Wachowski ultimately expressed her interest in the project, making it clear that Warner Bros. was eager to make the film with the original director.
Despite the somewhat lackluster reception of ‘The Matrix Resurrections’, Warner Bros. has expressed its desire to continue backing Lana Wachowski. The studio's CEO, Ann Sarnoff, has already confirmed that the company would be very interested in producing The ‘Matrix 5’ if Lana Wachowski wished to return to the helm. Collider