Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: elon musk, Ivanka Trump, lana wachowski, Matrix 4, twitter

Lilly Wachowski Not Having Elon Musk, Ivanka Trump's Matrix Reference

Published Mon, 18 May 2020 20:25:16 -0500

When you create one of the most culturally relevant and beloved franchises in cinema history, you're bound to be referenced from time to time. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk tweeted "Take the red pill", which is alludes to a scene in the original 1999 film when Neo (Keanu Reeves) picks between pills. The red represented revealing an unpleasant truth, while the blue meant remaining in blissful ignorance. Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US President, retweeted Musk along with the word, "Taken!" According to the Los Angeles Times, "the red pill" is often referenced on social media meaning "waking up to conservative ideology." Lilly Wachowski, who co-directed and co-wrote the first three Matrix films with sister Lana Wachowski, took exception to Musk and Trump hijacking the use of the red pill to their own means. "F*** both of you," she responded to the mogul and the First Daughter. The not-so-subtle response garnered more than 38,000 retweets, more than 194,000 likes, and 5,000 comments in under 24 hours.

'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski Says Wachowskis Working on New 'The Matrix' — Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Image courtesy of Warner Bros

Matrix 4: Production Details

Lilly followed up encouraging Twitter followers to donate to Brave Space Alliance, an organization that supports trans and the gender-nonconforming in the Chicago area. Over four years (1999-2003), the Matrix franchise grossed a combined $594 million domestically and $1.63 billion globally in the box office. With Lilly opting out of the franchise, Lana is currently directing the latest film and co-writing with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. The fourth entry sees the return of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett-Smith as Neo, Trinity, and Niobe, respectively. Joining them are Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Brian J. Smith, Toby Onwumere, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Neither Musk nor Trump responded to Lilly's comment. Warner Bros suspended production due to the quarantine from the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduled to resume on July 6, 2020. The fourth Matrix comes to theaters on May 21, 2021.