re: Would a new Matrix movie boom or bust?

Before the current version of the Matrix, the machines created other versions. The first was a "Perfect World Scenario" where everybody was happy and life was good. Human psyche could not handle this overload of perfection and rejected the program. People couldn't believe it was real. The second Matrix was a "Nightmare Scenario", wars raged so as to appease the sadistic nature of humanity. This was also a failure because people couldn't accept it.

The solution was found by The Oracle. She concluded, that if people were given a choice to accept or reject the Matrix (even if they weren't aware they were being given that choice), they would overwhelmingly accept the program anyway.

Of course that this acceptance was not universal. A small number of people would still reject the Matrix. If left unchecked in the system, these people behaved like a virus, making other people aware that they lived in a fake world, destabilizing the whole system. They had to be removed. That's why The Architect allowed Zion to survive, to preserve the Matrix and to remove the people that were aware that they were inside a program. But this in turn created the problem of controlling Zion.

If left unchecked, the city would eventually grow too powerful. For that purpose, the Architect and The Oracle created the concept of The One. Every time Zion grew too big (around 250.000 people I think), The One would be born. The One carried an important part of code from the Matrix (the Prime Program) that gave him a greater form of control over the Matrix (aka Neo's Powers).

He was supposed to be guided by The Oracle to meet The Architect, reinserting the Prime Program he carried, thereby rebooting the Matrix. After the destruction of Zion, The One would create a new Zion with a select few people on the Matrix. After his death, The Oracle would begin to spread the prophecy of his return, perpetuating the cycle.

**Edit to answer a few other questions.**
**Neo's powers**
Neo's control of machines outside The Matrix has two lines of reasoning. Each with its own set of consequences to the story. The first is that the "Real World" is in fact just another Matrix. Neo and Zion exist in this upper level, but are still wired to the system and everything is just a ruse to make them think they have a choice when in fact they do not. Neo's powers are easily explained by having the Prime Program.

The other possibility is that Neo has some form of connection (unknown how) to the Source, so he is able to feel and interact with anything connected to it even when in the Real World. Thus he is able to override the Sentinels and know where the Machine City is located.

**The goal of The One**
One of the most interesting facts is why The Architect can't remove the anomaly of The One from the system. My guess is that since so much of The Matrix relies on choice, that is the case here. Neo has to chose to insert his Prime Program and reboot the Matrix and he has to do it willingly. Otherwise The Architect could theoretically simply force him to do it. But he cannot.

When The Oracle and The Architect created the concept of The One, they were trying to create some purpose to the anomaly. To give him a goal to achieve: return to The Source. And they had to create a reason as to why that goal was important.

**Why Zion exists**
And thus, Zion's existence is justified. Neo has to reach The Source because he's The One, the messiah, the saviour of mankind, and he must return to The Source to save it. Zion exists to make The One believe this role. Because if he his to save mankind, he has to have some kind of connection to it. They are his flock.

**The Merovingian**
He is an old program, from a much older version of The Matrix. He supposedly helped create the "Nightmare" version along with The Architect. When that failed, he saved much of the programs of that version as his henchmen (that's why they have special abilities, like The Twins and the guards that can reverse gravity, and some are much harder to kill, for instance with silver bullets).

**The Energy problem**
The Machines use humans for power. That is obviously not the only energy source since The Architect clearly states that there are other ways. In a way The Wachowskis have recognised this flaw. In the first draft the Machines used humans for their processing power (sort of like a giant server), not energy. But they weren't sure people would believe it so they changed it in the end.

**The Nature of Agent Smith**
Smith is Neo's opposite. He's determinism, Neo is choice. Smith is the many, Neo is The One. Light and Dark. The two faces of the same coin. He became a rogue agent, in an unexpected way when part of Neo's code overwrote a part of his, unplugging him from the system. He began replicating at an alarming rate and he was too powerful to simply be deleted.

I don't think that The Oracle's plan for peace included Smith originally but she understod the threat he posed on the system and that he could be the best bargaining chip of all. His destruction in exchange for peace between humans and machines.

**The Nature of The Oracle**
She is, as we find out in Reloaded, a program. A very specific program created to better understand the human psyche. She was the one that discovered a way to make The Matrix work. She also played an integral part in the creation of the concept of The One, spreading the myth of the prophecy, that The One would return to save mankind.

But she also wanted peace between humans and machines. And she was willing to risk everything (even the eventual destruction of The Matrix) to reach that goal.

The frick, man? Aren't there enough prequels/sequels/reboots already?! Leave The Matrix alone!

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So the prequel could have AI develop in a modern day setting.

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Yeah I suppose. I guess the Matrix did a good job of explaining that the matrix was only in 1999, but they have no idea what year the real world is in so they could set it in modern day that has more modern tech than what the matrix was using (like cell phones and such)