After directing three Matrix films together, the Wachowski sisters—Lilly and Lana—Lana directed Matrix Resurrections on her own. Lilly explains the change.
Bound, the Matrix trilogy, Speed Racer, or the first season of the series Sense8. Since the beginning, the Wachowskis have largely produced their work as a two-woman team. Just as with the Coen brothers or the Safdie brothers, it’s a little jolting to eventually discover the work of one member of a duo without the other by their side. We sometimes realize that the double magic that sparked when two collaborated doesn’t quite glow as brightly when one goes solo (see, for example, our review of Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t). And we enjoy guessing who did what in the films of a team now split up—thanks to recent explorations like Marty Supreme and Smashing Machine.
Yet the split felt even stranger for the Wachowskis. Seeing Lana Wachowski helm the final Matrix installment, Resurrections, seemed all the more surreal because the entire universe surrounding Neo and Trinity was conceived and built with Lilly. And while that felt odd for us, the sense of unease must have been even more pronounced for the one left on the bench. Lilly Wachowski has recently spoken about the matter.
BEFORE MATRIX, NOW SATRIX
In a lengthy interview with IndieWire for Bound’s 30th anniversary, Lilly Wachowski addressed the question of Lana directing Matrix Resurrections. She began by saying the experience was necessary. Since we’re in an era of franchise reboots, she prepared herself for the possibility that her “baby” would continue evolving without her:
“Yes, it was funny; it was a strange experience. But I think it was necessary. Warner Bros. is going to do a lot with it. Because the industry runs on repetition, you can expect to see more Matrix films. For me, watching someone else do it—even if it’s my sister—allowed me to close this chapter. In fact, we’ve gone through our… how should I put it? We’ve expressed our grief in our own ways.”
In that line, Lilly Wachowski refers to the death of their parents, which she says was a difficult experience. But whereas Lilly says she needed to step back from cinema to face it—and even channel it through the TV series Work in Progress that she co-wrote and produced—Lana felt the pull to return to Matrix:
“Lana is exploring a similar terrain with Matrix, and that idea of perseverance and rebirth is inspired by our parents. She needed to make this film, whereas I did not. Our paths diverged; I told her, ‘Go ahead and do it.’ It was hard and strange to watch… anyway. It’s all good. Each of us got what we wanted. [laughs]”
All’s well that ends well, especially since Lilly has since directed Trash Mountain, her first solo directorial feature, though a release date has yet to be announced. The Matrix saga, meanwhile, is slated to return with Matrix 5, overseen by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods). No release date—or even a start of filming—has been announced yet.
