UPDATE (3/17/17):

Don’t call it a reboot. At least that’s what screenwriter Zak Penn says about Warner Bros. rumored relaunch of The Matrix franchise. Penn, who is reportedly attached to the project, took to Twitter to bring some clarity to the swirling eddy of online rumors. While he cannot confirm one way or the other that he is working on the project, he does offer some strong opinions about whether or not The Matrix can and should be relaunched in the first place.

All I can say at this point is no one could or should REBOOT the Matrix. People who know Animatrix and the comics understand.

— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) March 15, 2017

Can't comment yet except to say that the words "reboot" and "remake" were from an article. Let's stop responding to inaccurate news.

— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) March 17, 2017

If I were going to recast Keanu Reeves, I would cast Keanu Reeves.

— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) March 17, 2017

How about just re-release the matrix? Don't reboot it, you can't do better.

— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) March 17, 2017

Do I want to see more stories set in the universe of the matrix? Yes. Because it's a brilliant idea that generates great stories.

— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) March 17, 2017

The plot thickens, folks, like so many Neos in so many futuristic alien goo pods. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

ORIGINAL STORY:

One of the distinctive traits of The Matrix trilogy, as opposed to others similarly conceived, is that it ended not with a victory, but an uneasy truce. Rather than take on the preordained role of a false savior, Neo (Keanu Reeves) made a genuine sacrifice in order to also cancel out Agent Smith, the evil side of the equation he was balancing out. The Architect, on the machines’ side, and the Oracle, on humanity’s side, ended up walking away together wondering how long the truce could last. And since there were talks of a multiplayer online game immediately afterward, we all assumed “not forever.”

The Hollywood Reporter is writing tonight that the time may be coming for more, describing a “relaunch” rather than a direct sequel or complete reboot. Either direction is possible, especially since they’re looking at Michael B. Jordan to star, and Neo was at one point going to be African-American before Keanu Reeves was cast. But there’s speculation that WB could be looking at a larger cinematic universe property here, as The Matrix was really ahead of its time on that front originally, telling a series of one-off stories in The Animatrix, and an original Rogue One-ish “in-between” tale with the video game Enter the Matrix that included new film footage.

X-Men scribe Zak Penn is said to be working on a draft, but Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who originally created the franchise, are not apparently attached at present. Reaction to their Matrix sequels was mixed, to say the least, but some of us remain unashamed of our love for them, and wouldn’t want to see the series go totally out of their hands.

Nerdist has reached out to sources at Warner Bros., who declined to comment. So we’d like to hear from you now–would you want more Matrix, and if so, would you prefer a totally new take, or an exploration into other corners of the existing universe? When you’re done saying “Whoa!”, comment below with your thoughts.

Image: Warner Bros.