The facts, then. Sophia Stewart is a writer who claims she created the story that became “The Matrix” and “The Terminator.” She has called herself the “Mother of the Matrix.”
Stewart was born in New York City. She was a child prodigy. By age 10, she had learned to drive and compose music on the piano. By age 11, she was completing payroll documents for construction companies. She skipped high school and attended City University of New York, earning a bachelor’s degree. She later attended USC film school.
On May 1, 1981, Stewart created a six-page screen treatment titled “The Third Eye.” On February 2, 1983, she registered a copyright for that treatment. In November 1983, she created a longer manuscript. She registered a second copyright on February 6, 1984.
Stewart alleges that in May 1981, she mailed her treatment to Susan Merzback, Vice President of Creative Affairs at 20th Century Fox. She says a Fox executive told her the work was brilliant and predicted films based on it would gross over $7 billion.
In the summer of 1986, Stewart claims she mailed her manuscript to the Wachowski brothers in response to an advertisement seeking science fiction works. In March 1999, Stewart watched “The Matrix” in a movie theater. She immediately recognized elements from her work.
In 2003, Stewart filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Warner Bros., the Wachowskis, James Cameron, and others. She sought over $1 billion in damages.
The case was dismissed in June 2005. Judge Margaret Morrow ruled that Stewart and her attorneys had failed to produce evidence to support her claims. They had not responded to discovery requests, had missed deadlines, and had generally ignored court orders. The court also found that Stewart had failed to demonstrate a striking similarity between her work and the films.
Stewart later filed another lawsuit, this time against her attorneys. In 2014, a judge ordered that she was entitled to $316,280 in costs and attorneys fees.
The rumor that Stewart won a $2.5 billion settlement began with a 2004 student newspaper article that mistakenly reported she had won her case. The newspaper later issued a correction.
Sophia Stewart maintains her claim. The courts dismissed her case. The truth of her story remains unresolved in the legal record.
Sources:
- Daily Nation – “Hollywood’s greatest heist” (2025)
- CourtListener – Stewart v. Wachowski (2005)
- Salt Lake Community College Globe – “Mother of the Matrix Victorious” (2004)
- University of Utah Newspapers – “Sophia Stewarts’ day in court ends with dismissal” (2005)
- PolitiFact – “No, a woman didn’t win a $2.5 billion ‘Matrix’ lawsuit” (2021)
