25 years on, Keanu Reeves pays heartfelt tribute to The Matrix

Keanu Reeves has paid heartfelt tribute to The Matrix after the movie turned 25 earlier this year.

"The Matrix changed my life and then, over these years, it's changed so many other people's lives in really positive and great ways," Reeves said during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . "As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story. And so when you say these years, and the amount of people I’ve met who have said to me and been touched by The Matrix in such a positive way… It’s the best."

Released in 1999 and directed by the Wachowskis, The Matrix stars Reeves as Thomas Anderson, AKA Neo, a computer programmer and hacker who discovers that life as he knows it is a simulation created by sentient machines. The movie also stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving.

Reeves went on to star in three sequels: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions , both released in 2003, and 2021's The Matrix Resurrections . A new Matrix movie is currently in the works at Warner Bros., directed by The Cabin in the Woods helmer Drew Goddard – the first film in the franchise that won't be directed by one of the Wachowski sisters (although Lana is on board as an executive producer).

Next up for Reeves is Sonic the Hedgehog 3, in which he's set to voice Shadow the Hedgehog . The next installment in the video game adaptation franchise hits theaters on December 20. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of this year's movie release dates at a glance.