Christina Ricci joins The Matrix 4

Christina Ricci will star in 'The Matrix 4'.

Warner Bros. made the announcement in press release for the hotly-awaited next instalment in the hit sci-fi action franchise.

The 41-year-old actress is part of a star-studded cast, including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Christina previously worked with Lana Wachowski, the producer, co-writer and director of the upcoming flick on 2008's 'Speed Racer'.

Meanwhile, Neil recently admitted he was surprised by the "intimate" shoot of 'The Matrix 4'.

The 47-year-old actor was shocked that Lana had organised a small-scale production in Berlin.

He said: "It didn't feel large because it felt like she was in her sweet spot, which was filming on the fly, filming using natural light.

"Sometimes you'd sit around for an hour waiting for the clouds to clear, and then you'd quickly film. You'd film pages at a time in 30 minutes and then be done."

The 'Gone Girl' star added that the shoot didn't have the feel of a blockbuster movie but believes that Lana's experience on the three previous 'Matrix' films had an influence on her approach.

He added: "You would think that a giant movie would be 100 per cent storyboarded, animatics, and we'd be checking off shots. I think she lived that before three times over, and I would suspect that she wants to do things her own way now.

"It wasn't often that you felt that you were doing something gigantic because she made it feel very intimate."

'The Matrix 4' is slated for release on December 22, 2021.