Neal Patrick Harris is the latest star to join the cast of The Matrix 4. The sequel was officially announced by Warner Bros. in August, but it was coming together quietly behind the scenes for some time. Now, as the studio gears up to begin filming next year, the cast is starting to grow and the former How I Met Your Mother star has been added to the ensemble alongside returning stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.

According to a new report, Neil Patrick Harris has signed on to play an undisclosed role in the sequel. Harris most recently starred in A Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix. Harris becomes the second new addition to the franchise, following the casting of Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Plot details are non-existent at this point so it's virtually impossible to speculate as to who either actor will be playing. Though, there are abundant rumors that a young version of Morpheus will factor into the story. Beyond that, all we know for sure is that Harris will appear.

Lana Wachowski, who co-directed all three of the original Matrix movies with her sister Lily Wachowski, is set to return to helm the fourth installment. Lana Wachowski co-wrote the screenplay for the new entry alongside Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. When last we heard, Warner Bros. hopes to begin filming in February, which lines up with these recent casting announcements. The studio has been hoping to get this franchise back on the big screen for some time, but a messy rights issue had gotten in the way. That's since been cleared up and now it's time to get things moving in the right direction.

Interestingly, this isn't the only project in the works relating to the franchise at the moment. Screenwriter Zak Penn, who had been working on The Matrix 4, or so we thought, recently revealed that his movie is set apart from the sequel. So, could we still see a prequel in addition to the long-awaited sequel? Or some sort of spin-off? Cinematic Universes are all the rage right now. Then again, fans of the series will likely want to see if they can get just one right, as many felt very underwhelmed by both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

That said, the franchise was still a genre-defining achievement and the original remains one of the most beloved sci-fi movies ever made. The trilogy grossed $1.6 billion at the global box office, making it a massive success. However, the sequels were released back in 2003, so the series has been dormant for some time. But with Keanu Reeves having the year he's having, between John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Toy Story 4 and that epic cameo in Always Be My Maybe, the timing certainly feels right. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us via Variety.