Thanks to a new trailer teasing all the upcoming projects from Warner Bros that will be hitting HBO Max this year, the title for the fourth movie in The Matrix franchise may have now been revealed. At roughly the 0:25 mark in the new HBO Max 2021 releases trailer, a more succinct title than the The Matrix 4 flashes up that simply says Matrix.

Though this tells us very little about the direction of the movie, stripping away any surrounding words or subtitles certainly makes for a catchy title. The tile change could also suggest that Matrix is following the likes of other long, long-awaited sequels such as Halloween and Candyman, both of which act as semi-reboots to long-running franchises.

While specific details regarding the plot of The Matrix 4continue to remain a mystery, it is thought to be a continuation following the events of 2003's The Matrix Revolutions. One of the few things we do know is that both Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise their roles from previous installments, Neo and Trinity respectively, despite both of their characters seemingly being killed off come the trilogy's end.

Matrix 4 Logo

Keanu Reeves himself has revealed a few insights into what audiences can expect when they plug back in, with the actor recently heaping praise on director Lana Wachowski, before describing the fourth Matrix movie as a "love story", as well as giving us some idea of the direction of the highly anticipated sequel. "We have a wonderful director, Lana Wachowski, and she has written a beautiful script that is a love story, it's inspiring," Reeves said recently. "It's another version, a call to wake up and it has some great action. All will be revealed."

This is far from the first time that Reeves has applauded Lana Wachowski's script, which she wrote alongside Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. "Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me," he said back in June. "That's the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It's been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from."

Alongside Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, Matrix finds a few more familiar faces returning to the sci-fi action proceedings, including Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson, both of whom will also reprise their respective roles from previous movies. Matrix will also feature a line-up of new faces including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, and Ellen Hollman.

In a rare bit of good news regarding release dates, Matrix is now scheduled to hit theaters several months earlier than expected thanks to the recent reshuffle at Warner Bros, moving from April 1, 2022, to December 22, 2021.

Despite the announcement that the movie will also stream digitally on HBO Max in the United States for a month beginning on that same date, director Lana Wachowski is reportedly "adamant" that Matrix receives an exclusive theatrical run before being made available at home. This comes to us courtesy of HBO Max.