The Matrix Resurrections: Lilly Wachowski reveals why she didn’t want to co-direct

There is little doubt that the original Matrix trilogy would not have been such a magnificent success without the Wachowski sisters, Lilly Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. However, Lilly Wachowski did not think it would be best if she rejoined her sister to co-direct The Matrix 4, or officially called The Matrix: Resurrections. This was a huge decision by the director, but she has her own personal reasons behind it.

Related: Keanu Reeves calls Matrix 4 a “love story”

While talking to The Wrap, Lilly Wachowski revealed why she was not affiliated with The Matrix: Resurrections. For her, the idea of working on another Matrix film was like “going backwards” in her career. And that was quite “unappealing” for her. She simply didn’t have the same motivation inside her to go back in time and rewind the clock. Moreover, her transition and the loss of her parents made her rethink, saying:

I didn’t want to have gone through my transition and gone through this massive upheaval in my life, the sense of loss from my mom and dad, to want to go back to something that I had done before and sort of walk over old paths that I had walked in, felt emotionally unfulfilling and really the opposite. Like I was going to go back and live in these old shoes in a way. And I didn’t want to do that.

Lilly Wachowski has worked quite industriously for the past decade and doesn’t have it in her to rewalk old paths in The Matrix: Resurrections

Lilly last worked with her sister back in 2015, on Jupiter Ascending. And it was particularly difficult for her, as she felt exhausted working on Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending back to back. Moreover, she then immediately moved on to directing Sense8 for Netflix, showing just how prolific the two were in their trade. However, Lilly Wachowski cannot muster the same energy for The Matrix: Resurrections and has left Anna Wachowski for herself. She continued:

My world was like falling apart, to some extent, even while I was like, you know, cracking out of my egg. So I needed this time away from this industry. I needed to, like, reconnect to myself as an artist. And I did that by going back to school and painting and stuff. And I made that decision. So I started painting that summer with my mom and then Lana got the call from Netflix that they wanted to order up another season. And I said, ‘I can’t do it.’

Despite her rejection, The Matrix 4 is going full steam ahead. Warner Bros. recently revealed the official title and the first footage from the fourth sequel of the iconic trilogy, revealing the official name The Matrix: Resurrections. And the viewers will soon get to see Keanu Reeves‘ Neo in action in the theatres, as The Matrix: Resurrections release date is set for December 15, 2021.