The Matrix Resurrections photos decode new secrets to mysterious sequel

It's time to make the pivotal choice once again: red pill or blue pill?

EW's exclusive photos from The Matrix Resurrections helps decrypt the mysterious sequel, which arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Dec. 22, 18 years after the original Matrix trilogy wrapped up with 2003's The Matrix Revolutions. 

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman, Aquaman) portrays a different version of Morpheus than the one portrayed by Laurence Fishburne. How is that possible? Take the red pill to find out. 

Keanu Reeves' return as Neo must be Wicked because he's defying gravity, as seen here drop-kicking Jonathan Groff's suited character mid-air. 

Two-decade spoiler warning: Neo, the computer hacker freed from the world of the Matrix — that simulated reality used by A.I. machines to keep humans ignorant of their true grim existence as food for robot-kind — was last seen in Revolutions sacrificing himself to the 'bots in order to stop the human-machine war. Now, he finds himself back inside the Matrix with seemingly no memory of his past. 

We're still decoding the true nature of Groff's character, but it's fair to say he has some Agent qualities about him. (See also: the trailer.)

Carrie-Anne Moss makes a triumphant return as Trinity, Neo's love and a member of Morpheus' Nebuchadnezzar space ship. She, too, appeared to perish in Revolutions, but she's seen again fighting alongside Neo in the Matrix. 

A closer look at a scene from the Resurrections trailer shows her having a bit of an identity crisis.  

Jessica Henwick, known for roles on Game of Thrones and Iron Fist, arrives in Resurrections as Bugs, a blue-haired gunslinger with a white rabbit tattoo — the same kind of tattoo Neo once followed 1999's The Matrix to begin his journey towards enlightenment. 

In Resurrections, Bugs finds herself in a similar position as Morpheus once did. She can only open the door for Neo. It's up to him to walk through. 

Beyond Bugs and this new Morpheus, there are some fresh faces to the franchise coming to The Matrix Resurrections. 

Sense8 actor Toby Onwumere, who worked with Resurrections director Lana Wachowski on that sci-fi Netflix series, rocks a heck of a lot of tech. He's joined by another figure from Sense8, Eréndira Ibarra, playing the character Lexy. 

There are even more faces from Sense8, including actors Brian J. Smith and Max Riemelt. Smith is seen here between Ibarra's Lexy and Abdul-Mateen's Morpheus. 

Wachowski returns to helm Resurrections without her sister Lilly Wachowski. The sibling pair directed the original trilogy together. 

In an email to EW, Lana writes, "Technology has paradoxically brought us closer together while also isolating or inculcating us from each other. The power of technology to trap or limit our subjective reality was an important part of the new narrative for this Matrix."

You can't have a Matrix movie without a killer motorcycle scene. Wachowski shot this new one with Moss' Trinity and Reeves' Neo in San Francisco under cover of night. Reeves played coy in an interview with EW but said his motorcycle company, Arch, delivered a vehicle used for a Trinity scene in the movie that may or may not be this one in the photo. "It's a beautiful bike, very powerful," Moss says.

For more on The Matrix Resurrections, order the January issue of Entertainment Weekly or find it on newsstands beginning Dec. 17. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.