Carrie-Anne Moss will also return to her role as Trinity in the new installment. 

Lana Wachowski will helm the project, returning to write, direct and produce the latest installment of the hugely popular series about humans trapped in a virtual reality by machines, which has netted more than $1.6 billion worldwide. 

'We could not be more excited to be re-entering 'The Matrix' with Lana,' studio chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement.

'Lana is a true visionary - a singular and original creative filmmaker,' he added.

Lana and her sister Lilly - who were formerly known as the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, before switching gender - directed the original trilogy.

Warner Bros did not specify if the new film would be a direct sequel, saying only that it was 'set in the world of 'The Matrix',' and did not give a release date.