Just as Lana Wachowski went solo for Sesnse8 season 2, she plugged back into the Matrix alone for The Matrix Resurrections - a meta sequel to the original trilogy. The Matrix Resurrections' modern narrative begins with Jessica Henwick's Bugs - a human Redpill from Io - liberating Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Morpheus/Smith program from a modal created by Neo. Shooting their way through a horde of enemy agents, Bug & Morpheus' escape sets the tone for events to come... and proves beyond doubt that The Matrix Resurrections will be a veritable treasure trove for Easter egg lovers.
One of the best blink-and-you'll miss-it Matrix Resurrections Easter eggs comes when Jessica Henwick's blue-haired hero leads a red-pill-tripping Morpheus to safety. The pair exit a movie theater, and the marquee above them can be seen advertising "ROOT OF ALL EVIL STARRING LITO RODRIGUEZ." The fast-paced chase resumes before viewers can process the Easter egg in real-time, but thanks to the power of Bullet Time (i.e. the pause button), the movie theater marquee reveals itself as a cunning Easter egg referencing the Wachowskis' Sense8 TV series.
Lito Rodriguez is a main character in Sense 8, portrayed by Miguel Silvestre. Heading deeper into meta territory, Sense8's Lito is an actor trying to find his big break in Hollywood. His sexuality becomes public, and the potential ramifications of being an openly gay movie actor provide a large chunk of Lito's Sense8 story arc. Lito's in-universe filmography is known for its dramatic flair, with titles such as "Crimes of the Innocent" and "The Devil Died At Dawn." The Matrix Resurrections' "The Root of Evil" fits right into that same overblown mold, and perhaps even hints that Lito went onto great Hollywood success after Sense8... in Neo's modal, at least.
The Matrix Resurrections' movie theater Easter egg is just one of several connections between Lana Wachowski's long-awaited sequel and the Wachowskis' Sense8. Much of Sense8's behind-the-scenes crew - including the likes of Aleksandar Hemon, John Toll and Joseph Jett Sally - followed Lana Wachowski over to The Matrix Resurrections, creating a continuity in production from one to the other. A litany of Sense8 cast also appear in The Matrix Resurrections, linking the two Wachowski projects in front of camera also. Toby Onwumere plays Sequoia, Eréndira Ibarra is Lexy, Brian J. Smith portrays Berg - and that's just a taster of the Sense8 reunion going on in The Matrix Resurrections. With so many connections between cast and crew, Sense8 Easter eggs were inevitable in The Matrix Resurrections, and though Miguel Silvestre isn't among the cameos, the inclusion of a Lito Rodriguez movie playing in a digital theater keeps his character's spirit alive.
