The Matrix Reboot: 5 Reasons It Should Be A Prequel
Maybe leaving out Keanu wouldn't be a such a bad idea...
So, there's gonna be another Matrix, huh?
One that seems to be ditching the Wachowskis and perhaps even Keanu Reeves; but, this may not necessarily be a bad idea, the separation from the original creators leaving more opportunity for the elements that made the franchise so beloved to be remixed into something fresh, rather than a rehash of what came before.
Sure, the new creative team could end up making something truly atrocious, though one of the ways that this would be more likely to be averted would be making the new movie a prequel.
Films set prior to ones that have come before don't have the greatest reputation (just ask Star Wars fans), yet, in the case of the Matrix, going back in time a bit may just be exactly what the series needs to do if the higher ups at Warner Bros. wish it to continue, here's why.
5. The Film Would Not Be As Bound By The Original Trilogy
The announcement of a Matrix reboot was a slightly surprising one from a storytelling standpoint - the trilogy ending in a very final manner that left little opportunity for further adventures.
This is why a prequel makes far more sense, it being set prior to Neo's taking of the red pill meaning that there would be no reason for an explanation to be contrived as to why the peace didn't last between the machines and humans or the absence of the surviving members of the original cast.
The movie would be especially free from the boundaries of the original trilogy if it were to follow a previous One in an earlier version of the Matrix, as all of those characters would end up being purged by the machines - making it incredibly hard for any tangible effects to be had on the original story.