Zak Penn: new Matrix movie not a remake or reboot; is it a Morpheus prequel?

When news broke last week that seminal sci-fi thriller The Matrix was being revamped there was a mixed reception to the news: some thought the idea was preposterous and that such a work of brilliance should not be remake while others had some positive reactions to the news and thought that a new version, in whatever form, would be a worthwhile endeavour.

Additionally, Zak Penn, scribe behind such films as X-Men: The Last Stand and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Ready Player One, was in talks to pen the new version and just a few days after the announcement, the writer has been speaking on Twitter (via ComingSoon.net) about the reactions and setting the record straight somewhat as to what exactly the new Matrix would be, saying:

“All I can say at this point is no one could or should REBOOT ‘The Matrix’… People who know ‘Animatrix’ and the comics understand. Can’t comment yet except to say that the words ‘reboot’ and ‘remake’ were from an article. Let’s stop responding to inaccurate news. Do I want to see more stories set in the universe of ‘The Matrix’? Yes. Because it’s a brilliant idea that generates great stories.”

He continued with some other tweets with shared some of his thoughts on where he may be taking his inspiration from for the new film and whether Keanu Reeves would return:

One idea floating around at the moment via Birth.Movies.Death is that the film will a prequel revolving around a young Morpheus, with Creed star Michel B. Jordan reportedly being courted for the role. Indeed, star Keanu Reeves told Yahoo Movies last month that he would be up for a Matrix 4 but only if The Wachowski’s were involved so it seems very unlikely that he would return at all.

While the idea of a Matrix reboot fills many fans with fear, it would not be much of a stretch to see it go the way of so many franchises these days and set up a “universe” that would allow the series to continue with a fresh cast and crew and expand the story into different directions. And with the sour taste still left in the mouth after the two sequels, this is perhaps Warner Bros. best option in bringing it back to the screen with a new lease of life.