In a move that is sure to seem sacrilegious to some, Keanu Reeves has now cut off his long, John Wick style hair and in its place stands a very short buzzcut. Of course, the actor continues to look as breath-taking as ever, with the dramatic change in Reeves' do likely due to the upcoming sequel The Matrix 4 and potentially offering some clues as to the movie's direction.

Keanu Reeves last sported a similar haircut all the way back in 1999 with the very first The Matrix, with his character, Neo AKA The One, awakening from the virtual world and into the real one like a newborn. Reeves has been spotted filming The Matrix 4 in the past, with the actor sporting long hair and beard, and thus the shaved head could suggest that Reeves will once again be awoken from his slumber in the computerized simulation as if for the first time.

While specific details regarding the plot of The Matrix 4 continue to remain a mystery, it is revealed in 2003's The Matrix Reloaded that there have been versions of The One before, leaving many to speculate that this version of Neo will be a brand new one, different to the Neo from prior movies, which would explain why the character is once again hairless and at the beginning of his journey.

The sci-fi sequel recently returned to filming after a pause in production, with Reeves having revealed a few insights into what audiences can expect when they plug back into The Matrix. After praising director Lana Wachowski, Reeves described The Matrix 4 as a "love story," before 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 Keanu Reeves has praised 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."

Echoing these sentiments, Carrie-Anne Moss, who is reprising her role as Trinity in The Matrix 4, has also hailed the screenplay in the past saying, "When it was brought to me in the way that it was brought to me, with incredible depth and all of the integrity and artistry that you could imagine, I was like, 'This is a gift.' It was just very exciting."

In addition to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix 4 finds Jada Pinkett Smith, and Lambert Wilson also reprising their respective roles from previous installments. The movie 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.

Thanks to the recent reshuffle at Warner Bros., The Matrix 4 is now scheduled to hit theaters several months earlier than expected, moving from April 1, 2022, to Dec. 22, 2021. Which means that, rather aptly, Neo, the sci-fi messiah, will now arrive around Christmas. These images were first reported by People.