NEW YORK — A reboot of “The Matrix” is said to be the works, but many fans would rather see Warner Bros. choose a different pill.

The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday reported that Warner Bros. is developing a relaunch of the 1999 film, which spawned two far less beloved sequels. Any new “Matrix” film is in such an early stage that it may — like countless other projects in development — never amount to anything. Warner Bros. declined to share any details on its plans on Wednesday.

But the report was enough to stoke a backlash on social media over any tampering with the Wachowskis’ trench-coated, slow-motion bullet-flying science-fiction creation. Reboots, you may have noticed, are a tad common for Hollywood these days. And while repaving old favorites often causes consternation among fans, the possibility of a new “Matrix” touched a nerve.

On one hand, the dystopian vision of “The Matrix,” about a rebellion against machine-controlled rule, would seem ideal for today. After all, many have recently suggested the world has tipped into a simulated reality of its own. The time may be ripe for the deep “rabbit-hole” diving Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus advocated.

Also, initially wounded fan feelings have been known to soften under the right conditions. Get the right talent involved, secure the necessary blessings, talk about “mining” the story’s boundless “universe” and you could — come opening weekend — have a “Matrix” version of the “The Force Awakens” on your hands.

But there’s also reason to believe moviegoers are increasingly saying no to cash-grab reboots. The reasons for their demises were various, but last summer was a graveyard of underwhelming redos, including “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” ”Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Ghostbusters.”