The Matrix Awakens dropped its first official teaser trailer, asking viewers to question their own reality.
The brief 15-second clip features the iconic green text of The Matrix films, before zooming out onto Keanu Reeves' face. The beloved actor, who reprises his role as Neo in the upcoming film The Matrix Resurrections, asks the audience, "How do we know what is real?" The teaser concludes by confirming that The Matrix Awakens is an "Unreal Engine 5 Experience" before announcing that a full reveal will take place during The Game Awards 2021 which air on Dec. 10.
While the shot of Reeves certainly looks like the actor, a closer inspection suggests that something is awry; The Reeves present in the trailer is completely animated. The exquisite attention to detail plays into the question raised by the trailer while also serving as an example of the possibilities of Unreal Engine 5. "Get ready for a glimpse into the future of interactive storytelling and entertainment with UE5," reads the official description of The Matrix Awakens.
Little is currently known about The Matrix Awakens but given the specific terminology used by the trailer, it's possible that it won't be a full video game. Considering the emphasis placed on Unreal Engine 5, it may be a tech demo of sorts, allowing players to peek into the world of The Matrix, realized entirely through Epic Games' popular development and animation tool. The website for The Matrix Awakens does confirm that it will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and that it can be pre-downloaded ahead of its official reveal.
Beyond The Matrix Awakens, fans of the franchise have a great deal to look forward to in the next few weeks. The fourth film in the franchise, The Matrix Resurrections, hits theatres on Dec. 22. When asked why he wanted to return to arguably his most iconic role, Reeves stated, "We had filmmakers who you wanted to say yes to. [We had] material that you wanted to commit to, to give everything that you could to."
While fans may be excited to see Reeves as Neo once again, many have expressed their disappointment that Laurence Fishburne will not reprise his role as Morpheus. Instead, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will play a different version of the character. "This is definitely a different iteration of the character," said Abdul-Mateen II. "I play a character who's definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. There's a lot in our story that's about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn't exempt from that."
Source: YouTube