'The Matrix 4' Moved Up to Earlier Release Date

There's some good news for fans of "The Matrix" movies: The fourth chapter in the franchise has been rescheduled for an earlier release date, The Wrap reports.

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed or delayed a number of film productions, shuttered cinemas (at least temporarily), and scrambled release schedules, resulting in a number of tentpole movies being held back by as much as a year, or more. But in a few instances, release dates have been moved up, rather than pushed back; such is the case here, with Variety noting that "The Matrix 4" was originally slated for an April 1, 2022 release, but has now been rescheduled to open Dec. 22, 2021.

The new film reunites cast members Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss with director Lana Wachowski, who also co-wrote the script with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. Out actors Jonathan Groff ("Looking") and Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") also star.

The first film in the series, released in 1999, was written and directed by Lana Wachowski and her sibling, Lily Wachowski. Two sequels followed, both in 2003. At that time, the siblings were known as The Wachowski Brothers, but they both transitioned after the completion of the original "Matrix" trilogy. The Wachowskis continued to collaborate on films, and also teamed up for a television project, "Sense8," that featured a cast of characters with diverse sexualities and gender identities.

Lana Wachowski made headlines this past summer when she spoke about how the original "Matrix" films contained a "trans narrative."

" 'The Matrix' stuff was all about the desire for transformation," Wachowski said in a short video made for the Netflix Film Club, "but it was all coming from a closeted point of view."