Red pill or blue pill? More than 25 years after it rewired action cinema, the Matrix story is still being written. Writer-director Drew Goddard said in February 2026 that the fifth film is in progress, with Lana Wachowski on board as executive producer.
Before Neo plugs back in, here is the story of the 1999 original - the cast, the bullet time, the Oscars and the sequels. Find more film tribute designs in our Movies collection.
The Matrix Fact File
| Title | The Matrix |
|---|---|
| Release | 31 March 1999 (US) |
| Writers and directors | The Wachowskis |
| Producer | Joel Silver |
| Studio | Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures |
| Main cast | Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving |
| Setting | A simulated reality controlled by machines |
| Filmed in | Sydney, Australia |
| Runtime | 136 minutes |
| Signature item | The red pill |
Key Films
| Year | Title | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Matrix | About $470m |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | About $740m |
| 2003 | The Matrix Revolutions | About $427m |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | About $157m |
Grosses are rounded worldwide box office figures in US dollars and vary slightly between sources.
The Idea
Written and directed by the Wachowskis, The Matrix follows Thomas Anderson, a hacker known as Neo, who discovers that the world he knows is a simulation built by machines. Morpheus and Trinity pull him out and train him to fight back.
Keanu Reeves played Neo, Laurence Fishburne was Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss was Trinity and Hugo Weaving made Agent Smith one of cinema's great villains. The film blended science fiction with martial arts-inspired action, and its long coats and dark glasses became instantly iconic.
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Behind the Scenes in Sydney
The film was shot largely at Fox Studios in Sydney, with locations around the city's central business district, including Martin Place, standing in for an anonymous American city.
Its signature effect, bullet time, appeared to freeze or slow the action while the camera swept around it, and was copied by countless films, adverts and video games.
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Release and the Oscars
Made for around $63 million, The Matrix opened on 31 March 1999 and grossed around $470 million worldwide. At the 2000 Academy Awards it won all four of its nominations: Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects. In 2012 it was added to the US National Film Registry.
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Sequels and What Comes Next
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions both arrived in 2003, alongside The Animatrix, an anthology of nine animated shorts. Lana Wachowski returned alone to direct The Matrix Resurrections in 2021.
Warner Bros. announced a fifth film in April 2024, written and directed by Drew Goddard. No cast or release date has been confirmed yet.
Awards
Academy Awards (2000)
- Best Film Editing
- Best Sound
- Best Sound Effects Editing
- Best Visual Effects
Legacy
- Added to the US National Film Registry, 2012
Behind the Scenes
The franchise rights changed hands in 2025 when Alcon acquired them, with Warner Bros. keeping distribution. Gloria Foster as the Oracle and Joe Pantoliano as Cypher rounded out a cast that fans still quote today.
FAQs
When did The Matrix come out?
The Matrix was released in the US on 31 March 1999.
Who directed The Matrix?
It was written and directed by the Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver.
Where was The Matrix filmed?
Mainly at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, with location shooting around central Sydney.
How many Oscars did The Matrix win?
Four - Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects - from four nominations.
How many Matrix films are there?
Four: The Matrix (1999), Reloaded (2003), Revolutions (2003) and Resurrections (2021). A fifth is in development.
Is there a Matrix 5?
Yes. Warner Bros. announced it in April 2024, with Drew Goddard writing and directing. No release date has been set.
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Part of our Icon Profiles series. Read next: Keanu Reeves Career Story and Die Hard (1988) Film Story.
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