The John Wick Easter Egg To Watch For In The Matrix Resurrections
Contains mild spoilers for "The Matrix Resurrections." Reader beware!
1999's "The Matrix" flipped the cinema world on its head when it arrived on the big screen, both in terms of its technological feats and fascinating story. It soon became a pop culture phenomenon, with moviegoers across the globe sitting in awe at what the Wachowski sisters were able to accomplish with their latest blockbuster. As a result, a handful of actors found their stock in Hollywood skyrocketing at an ever-increasing rate, with Keanu Reeves — who played Neo in the film and its two big-screen sequels — at the forefront of it all.
"The Matrix" went a long way in solidifying Keanu Reeves' status as a household name, building on the foundation that projects like "Point Break" and "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" had laid in years previous. This afforded him the chance to star in the likes of "Constantine" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" as the 21st century picked up steam, but he couldn't quite reach those "Matrix" highs again. Thankfully, that changed in 2014 with a little action movie known as "John Wick," which launched Reeves' career renaissance in short order.
As of this writing, the "Matrix" and "John Wick" franchises are both on the cusp of reaching four total installments, and fans of both will be delighted to know that "The Matrix Resurrections" includes a fun nod to one of the men behind the "John Wick" series.
Keep an eye out for Chad Stahelski
To help promote the impending release of "The Matrix Resurrections," Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss — who play Neo and Trinity, respectively — sat down with Collider (via Screen Rant) for an interview. During their chat, Reeves revealed that none other than Chad Stahelski, the director of the "John Wick" films and close friend of "Resurrections" director Lana Wachowski, makes a brief cameo in the film. He explains that she appreciates Stahelski's filmmaking ability and him as a person and found it fun to include him as a character known simply as "Handsome Chad."
Interestingly, if you go back and sift through the credits of the previous three "Matrix" films, you'll find Chad Stahelski there as well. He wore a few different hats on those sets, the most prominent being martial arts stunt coordinator and stunt double, specifically for Neo. Thus began his partnership with the Wachowskis that bled over into their later projects "V for Vendetta," "Speed Racer," and "Ninja Assassin." As Reeves notes in the interview, this bond helped Stahelski become a filmmaker in his own right, and considering how beloved the "John Wick" series is, it's safe to say he's putting his knowledge to good use.
As if "The Matrix Resurrections" doesn't seek to give everyone enough to look for and ponder, now there's a Chad Stahelski cameo to keep an eye out for. Lana Wachowski sure knows how to keep audiences on their toes.