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Although Will Smith made it seem as if he was righting the wrong of not taking up the role of The Matrix’s Neo in a recent social media post, it turns out that his cryptic message isn’t related to the beloved franchise at all.
On Monday, Smith shared a video on Instagram, in which the following message is displayed:
“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”
“Wake up Will…”
“The Matrix has you…”
However, the post wasn’t to tease any involvement with a future Matrix movie, but instead for “a new music project that Smith has underway,” according to sources who spoke with Deadline.
Considering Smith dropped a handful of new songs last year, with the most recent being “Tantrum” with Joyner Lucas, this makes sense.
However, as Variety noted in a separate report, Smith is not tied to a new fifth Matrix film, which Drew Goddard (of The Martian fame) is currently attached to write and direct, but that could change.
Last year, Smith revealed that not accepting the part of Neo was one missed role that he regrets.
During an appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Smith explained how a confusing pitch from Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the creators of The Matrix, played a part in him turning the opportunity down — only to wish he hadn’t upon seeing the completed movie.
He essentially shared the same reason in 2019 while talking about the role, but said that the movie wouldn’t have been what it was if he was leading it.
“Keanu [Reeves] was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect. If I had done it, because I’m Black, then Morpheus wouldn’t have been Black,” Smith said, noting that Vil Kilmer was initially going to be Morpheus.
“I probably would’ve messed The Matrix up, I would’ve ruined it,” he added. “So I did y’all a favor.”
English (US) · 