Mercedes red-pilled a G-wagen for The Matrix Resurrections premiere
The fourth Matrix movie stars a G550 in a chase scene, so Mercedes stuck one in a 39-foot-long pill outside San Francisco's Castro Theatre.
The Matrix Resurrections held its US premiere at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday, marking the return of Neo and Trinity to the silver screen after an 18-year hiatus. In addition to the human stars of the movie walking the green carpet, there was another star present at the premiere: a Mercedes-Benz G-Class , inside a giant red pill located just outside the theater.
Even if you've never seen the movies before, you probably know the significance of the red pill. In the original movie, Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is offered the choice of a blue pill, which will leave him stuck in the Matrix and blissfully unaware of the real world; or a red pill, which reveals the truth of the Matrix. Neo takes the red pill, awakening himself in the dystopian future. In the new movie Neo is offered the choice yet again.
A modified G550 is featured in the movie.
But what does that have to do with a G-wagen, you ask? Mercedes' iconic off-roader is featured in the new movie, with rebels using one to help clear a path for Neo and Trinity to escape the Matrix in a chase scene filmed in San Francisco. While the SUV in the red pill at the premiere is an AMG G63, the one actually used in the movie is a G550 -- though it has the front grille and bumper from a G63. The G-wagen used in the movie has some awesome modifications like beadlock wheels, a roof rack with spotlights and a larger front brush guard.
Mercedes doesn't say what the physical pill is made of, but it's absolutely huge, measuring in at 39 feet long, 13 feet wide and over 11 feet tall. This isn't the first time Mercedes has stuck a G-wagen in something as a publicity stunt, either. For the reveal of the all-new model in 2018 the company took an original 1979 G and encased it in a cube made from 50 tons of amber-colored resin, representing how the SUV is "stronger than time."
As for its placement in the movie and the premiere installation, CEO of Mercedes' G division Emmerich Schiller said, "The G-Class and the red pill go very well together. Both stand for freedom, individuality, and self-determination." He added that Mercedes has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures for 20 years, with its vehicles appearing in films such as Justice League. The Matrix Resurrections is in theaters in the US starting this Wednesday, Dec. 22, and it will be available to stream on HBO Max from then until Jan. 22.
