No, Will Smith Isn’t Starring in a New Matrix Movie

Earlier today, Will Smith took to Instagram to casually share some news with his nearly 70 million followers. The reel, which you can see below, recaps the superstar’s notorious career decision back in 1997 to pick Wild Wild West over The Matrix. “What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”, the post asks, then adds “Wake up, Will… the Matrix has you…”

With no caption or context—most people already knew Smith turned down The Matrix, which went on to become a genre-defining blockbuster, and also can recall with a chuckle at how Wild Wild West ended up turning out—the post immediately set a fire of speculation across the internet.

The most obvious response would be that Will Smith is appearing in a new Matrix movie—and such a project is indeed in the works. According to news that broke last year, Drew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods) is writing and directing a fifth Matrix film, with series co-creator Lana Wachowski aboard as executive producer. At the time, no casting or story details were shared, and that’s still the case—and that includes anything to do with Smith’s involvement.

After his Instagram post went viral, io9 reached out to Warner Bros., but the company—which owns The Matrix—didn’t know what Smith was talking about. A similar “uh, no” reaction came from Hollywood Reporter film editor Aaron Crouch, who tweeted through his personal X account that “Will Smith is not starring in the new Matrix movie.”

Another trade, Variety, doubled down on that by actually running an article about Smith’s post under the headline “Will Smith Isn’t Starring in New Matrix Movie, So What Neo-Related Project Is He Teasing?” Though some on the internet speculated it might be tied into a Super Bowl commercial—the game is February 9, so the time is ripe to start dropping hints—the publication’s theory is that it’s something to do with Smith’s other career: “It seems more likely that his cyberpunk-related venture will involve music, since Smith has teased that he’s getting ready to drop his first album in 20 years.”

Smith, who won an Oscar for 2021’s King Richard—an honor forever linked with one of the oddest moments in Oscar telecast history—most recently starred in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, his fourth Bad Boys buddy-cop movie opposite Martin Lawrence.

What’s your take on Smith’s Neo reclamation? Do you think new music is on the way, or something else?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.