It had been assumed that Warner Bros. was simply planning to reboot The Matrix franchise. Back in 2017, it sounded like some form of reboot or legacyquel was in the works, but then this past May, director Chad Stahleski, who did stuntwork on The Matrix movies, said that Lana and Lilly Wachowski were involved in a fourth installment (although his rep said this was for a “hypothetical” scenario). Apparently it was slightly more than hypothetical because The Matrix 4 is happening in a big way.

Variety reports that Lana Wachowski will write and direct a fourth Matrix with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively. That’s a surprising turn of events for several reasons. For starters, the Wachowskis have worked as a team, so it’s kind of a shock to see Lilly Wachowski absent from writing and directing duties. Also, Neo and Trinity died in The Matrix Revolutions. Trinity got mega-impaled when their ship crashed in the Machine City, and Neo succumbs to his injuries after defeating Smith inside the Matrix. Of course, The Matrix is the Wachowskis’ world and they (or at least Lana) can do whatever the hell she wants to bring these characters back. Wachowski will work on the script with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchel. Production is set to begin in early 2020.

“Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends,” Wachowski said.

Wachowski’s not wrong that The Matrix (or at least the original Matrix) still thrives today filled with interesting ideas that permeate our world. Even the sequels, which are kind of disappointing, are still reaching for big ideas, and frankly, we need that kind of audacity in our blockbuster filmmaking today. I don’t know if The Matrix 4 will necessarily work, but with Wachowski at the helm and Reeves and Moss back on board, I’m far more excited than I would have been if this had just been an average reboot with The Matrix branding.