Will Smith Will Not Star In ‘The Matrix,’ Despite Suggestive Teaser

Will Smith is one of the most loved and lauded actors of all time, so anything he does related to a possible upcoming film makes headlines. Unfortunately, for those who thought he was going to star in a forthcoming The Matrix sequel, that will not be the case.

Insiders confirmed via The Hollywood Reporter that the 56-year-old is not slated to be the lead guy in the Drew Goddard-directed film. This curiosity was sparked by an Instagram post from the Fresh Prince himself on Monday (Jan. 6).

He shared a video that said, “In 1997, the Wachowski’s 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…”

While Will Smith may not be in The Matrix, he has given fans plenty over the last few years. In 2024, he starred in the latest iteration of the Bad Boys series titled Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. Two years prior, he starred in Emancipation, and in 2021 he starred in King Richard, the role which yielded him his first and only Oscar for Best Actor.

While insiders cleared up the confusion regarding The Matrix, Smith took it upon himself to clear up the rumors and jokes about him being tied to Diddy amid the mogul being in jail for racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

“The world we’re in right now, it’s really hard for y’all to discern what’s real and what’s true,” he said during a recent performance in San Diego. “I been seeing y’all memes and stuff. People been making memes. I see the memes. Some of the stuff is funny. I haven’t addressed any of this publicly but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don’t got sh*t to do with Puffy so y’all can stop all them memes. Y’all can stop all of that bullsh*t. I ain’t been nowhere near no damn freak-off.”