After four groundbreaking nail-biters, the Matrix is back with a brand new cyberpunk thriller. Warner Bros announced earlier this week that The Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard will helm new project as writer and direct for the fifth instalment of the sci-fi action franchise.

The upcoming film marks the first in the series not to receive direct influence from co-creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski. While Lana remains attached to the project as an executive-producer, neither of the siblings are slated to to charge as the did in the 1999 original its sequels. It has yet to be announced whether franchise stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne-Moss, Hugo Weaving and Jada Pinkett-Smith will return.

Before winning the 2016 Oscar for best adapted screenplay for The Martian, Goddard’s sci-fi accolades included writing for the 90s series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as smash hits Angel, Alias and Lost. Goddard has also been credited with the creation of Marvel’s Daredevil and served as the director and executive producer on NBC’s beloved American comedy The Good Place.

The brainchild of Goaddard himself, the upcoming Matrix film was proposed to Warner Bros after 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections pulled in a meagre $157m worldwide, a fraction of the box office earnings grossed by previous instalments, a phenomenon that was in part due to the movie’s pandemic same-day streaming release.

“Drew came to Warner Bros with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honouring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” said Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros Motion Pictures president of production. “The entire team at Warner Bros Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making his new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”

The Matrix franchise has been viewed as a cultural touchstone since its debut at the turn of the millennium, featuring mind-boggling narratives of simulated reality, innovative visual effects and explosive action sequences that have kept viewers on the edge of their seats for over two decades.

“It is not hyperbole to say the Matrix films changed both cinema and my life,” said Goddard in a recent statement. “Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”