Maybe the movie will continue the meta approach of Resurrections, and the movie is all about 90s Will Smith making a different choice and finding out how deep the multiverse rabbit hole goes.
You joke, but honestly, if they’re going to make more of these, doing other stories set within the universe instead of just continuing with the characters that we’ve been following is probably the best route to go. Sort of like the kinds of stories The Animatrix did, but longer form and with minimal or no ties to the main series and characters.
An idea just popped into my head of them doing something like a 12 Monkeys-style, smaller scale sci-fi thriller, where you follow a character that is sent back in time (not sure what the logistics would of that be, but that’s something that the writers can figure out) to try and the prevent the machine uprising from happening. Yes, I am using the events of Second Renaissance as the basis of my proposed film, but with a bit of a twist.
The twist would be that it was rogue A.I./machines that sent the particular person that we’re following back in time to try and change events in their favor that lead to them preventing the creation of a human resistance, but that sending this person back is actually what kicks off the series of events that leads to the future that we’re already aware of from The Matrix onward. So, basically, they inadvertently created a bootstrap paradox, meaning that what they did was always meant to happen, thus sealing their own fate. So, prequel, but also not a straightforward prequel. You could have an ending where our main character dies, but goes out realizing what’s going to happen, so it’s a sad but hopeful ending. I guess maybe something similar to Last Flight of the Osiris, but less bleak.
Keep it rated R, of course. Give it a lower budget, probably like $60-$80 million, just like the original. Use a lot of neat tricks to save money, like just having our main character go to the past multiple times, but have only glimpses of each of those past events in smaller sets and contained locations. Also, get some lesser known/upcoming actors in this so you don’t have to pay them as much.
The other neat thing that I’m proposing is that you don’t market it as a Matrix film. By doing it that way, you avoid any baggage associated with any of the previous films, thus letting it stand and succeed on its own terms. It’s also allows people to go into the movie without any preconceived notions and knowing that it has any relation or ties to that film until they actually go and see it unfold on screen and figure it out for themselves as they’re watching it. Plus, a lot of great opportunities for some ARGs and viral marketing. Basically, return the series back to its roots and bring back the mystique and the whole feeling of “What the hell is this? This is interesting”.
I think this is a good approach to go with for any future projects. Also, hinting at the larger world while keeping it smaller scale and more intimate and mysterious is when these films work best and why the original resonated so well when it first came out, and why, as entertaining as they were, the sequels went wrong. Opening up the world is fine, but giving into excess and trying to do a whole bunch in one film is a huge mistake that a lot of films back then, and films now, make.
