The Matrix 5 Isn't as Certain as It Looked — Lilly Wachowski Says Drew Goddard Wants Their Blessing First

Drew Goddard’s new Matrix movie hasn’t been cancelled, but its path forward is less settled than Warner Bros.’ 2024 announcement suggested. In a new interview, Lilly Wachowski says Goddard doesn’t want to move forward without the blessing of her and sister Lana — a decision she says the two of them haven’t made.

Where This Actually Stands

Question	Current status
New Matrix film announced?	Yes, April 2024
Official title	Untitled — “Matrix 5” is trade/fan shorthand
Writer / director	Drew Goddard
Current writing status	Still writing, per Goddard’s own March 2026 update
Lana Wachowski’s role	Executive producer
Lilly Wachowski’s role	None announced
Wachowskis’ blessing granted?	Not publicly confirmed
Production started?	No
Keanu Reeves returning?	Not confirmed
Carrie-Anne Moss returning?	Not confirmed
Release date	Not announced
Cancelled?	No

What Lilly Wachowski Actually Said

Speaking on KCRW’s The Business on September 4, Lilly was candid about her own appetite for more Matrix: “Personally, I don’t want to play in that sandbox anymore. I’m kind of done.” But she was careful to separate that from the project’s fate. Of Goddard, she said: “He doesn’t want to go forward unless he gets our blessing. It becomes this complicated situation.” She added that she and Lana “might stick our noses in a tiny bit and see how we feel” about what Goddard is developing before deciding whether to sign off.

That’s a description of what Goddard personally wants before he’s comfortable proceeding — not a statement that Warner Bros. contractually requires the sisters’ approval, or that they hold greenlight authority over the studio’s plans. Nothing in the current reporting suggests otherwise.

Lana and Lilly Aren’t in the Same Position

The two are easy to conflate, but their relationship to this project isn’t identical. Lana directed The Matrix Resurrections solo in 2021 and is attached to Goddard’s film as an executive producer. Lilly has no announced production role on it at all — her comments are those of a co-creator whose input Goddard is seeking, not someone currently working on the film.

How We Got Here

Warner Bros. announced the project in April 2024, with Goddard writing and directing and producing alongside his partner Sarah Esberg through their Goddard Textiles banner; Lana signed on as executive producer. A WB executive said at the time that Goddard’s pitch was built around “honoring what Lana and Lilly began” while bringing his own take to the world. The project then went quiet for nearly two years. In March 2026, Goddard broke that silence, telling ScreenRant he was still writing: “I’m in my writing cave writing. I don’t know how long I’ll be in that writing cave, but whenever I come out, I’ll have news to share.” Lilly’s September comments are the first real update since.

What’s Still Unknown

No script has been confirmed finished, and Warner Bros. hasn’t announced a production start, a cast, or a release date. Whether the Wachowskis ultimately give Goddard their blessing — and what that would actually change about the film Warner Bros. releases — remains open. What today’s story clarifies isn’t that the movie is in trouble; it’s that a 2024 press release made a still-developing project look further along than it currently is.