Will Smith as Neo from The Matrix??? Something like that could finally be coming to fruition.
In a cryptic Instagram post, Smith uploaded a teaser for an endeavor or project related to The Matrix universe. The upload, dated Monday (Jan. 6), featured a video of a vintage computer referencing the tech in the Wachowski Sisters’ franchise and included a brief, eyebrow-raising set of text.
The message details how Smith, unsure of the Wachowski Sister’s initial pitch for The Matrix in 1997, chose to star in the Wild Wild West over that movie, as he “felt it was a better fit for him at the time.” Text on the screen then shifts to a more mysterious tone, asking the viewer, “What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?…Wake up, Will…The Matrix has you.”
The latest Matrix film, The Matrix Resurrections, was released in 2021 and famously featured Keanu Reeves as Neo in an iconic performance. And while Matrix 5 was announced shortly after the movie’s release, Warner Bros. announced that the Wachowski Sisters would not be brought back to direct the project and instead would tap Drew Goddard for the movie. Not much information has been given on the fifth installment, but there is reason to believe that WB could look to recast the role of Neo.
As The Matrix 5 served as a soft reboot and a sequel, the film found Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving recast with their characters, Morpheus and Agent Smith, played by Jonathan Groff and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, respectively. Hell, they may even look to recast Trinity for the next movie if they continue these plans of a complete reboot. But as of now, “what if Will Smith was Neo?” remains just that—a “what if?”
Look at Will Smith’s Matrix-related post above.