Reports that Warner Bros is lining up a reboot of groundbreaking sci-fi film The Matrix have been greeted with apprehension by fans.

The studio is in the early stages of developing a relaunch of the hit 1999 original, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication said the film’s producer, Joel Silver, approached Warner Bros about a potential new release, although siblings Lana and Lilly Wachowski, who wrote and directed the original and its two sequels, are said not to be currently involved.

Writing on Twitter, fans pleaded with Warner Bros to follow in the path of Star Wars and add sequels or prequels, rather than remake the original movie.

Reports also say The Avengers writer Zak Penn is in line to work on the script for the film.

The 1999 movie included innovative special effects, including the slow-motion bullet, and followed computer programmer Neo (Keanu Reeves) in his mission to overthrow humanity’s oppressors, the Matrix.

It spawned two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003.