A new press kit released by Warner Bros has revealed that the latest cast member added to the upcoming fourth The Matrix film will be Christina Ricci, according to Collider. As is often the case with new additions like this, there is little information about who she will be playing, but this ensemble now rivals the ever-increasing casts of sequels like Indiana Jones 5 and Knives Out 2, which seem to be tacking on new stars every week.
Ricci is in good company with the previously-announced talent already on board.
Franchise regulars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Daniel Bernhardt, and Lambert Wilson are attached to return, while a handful of newcomers will be joining for this film. The list of impressive talent includes those with experience in action and sci-fi, like Yahya-Abdul Mateen II (Watchmen), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist), and Priyanka Chopra (Quantico). Two actors known better for their comedy and musical work, Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff, will also appear in the film.
The Matrix was released on March 31st, 1999. It went on to win four Oscars for its technical aspects and to gross $466 million worldwide. A pair of sequels was soon greenlit, and The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were released a few months apart in 2003. The second film performed well but the third was a comparable box office disappointment, and fans have had to wait almost twenty years to see more of Neo and his reality-bending exploits. The fourth film is slated to be released in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.
Right around the time when the first film was released was when Ricci’s career was peaking, with high-profile roles in The Opposite of Sex and The Ice Storm. Following other well-received film parts in the next decade, Ricci’s most recent appearances have been on television.
She starred in ABC’s Pan Am, played the title character in Lifetime’s Lizzie Borden Took an Ax and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, and portrayed Zelda Fitzgerald in Amazon Prime Video’s Z: The Beginning of Everything.