Originally appeared on E! Online
Will Smith may be entering "The Matrix."
At least, that’s what the Oscar winner hinted at in a mysterious video posted on social media Jan. 6, which addressed his decision to turn down the lead role in the blockbuster franchise created by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski.
“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in "The Matrix,” read a message displayed in the clip posted on Will’s Instagram page. “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?”
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“Wake up, Will…” the video continued. “The Matrix has you…”
But don’t get too excited just yet, because although Warner Bros. announced a new "Matrix" movie was in development in April 2024, the "Bad Boys" star is not currently involved in the franchise, sources told Variety.
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E! News has reached out to Warner Bros. Pictures as well as a rep for Smith but has not heard back.
The original sci-fi action movie, released in 1999, starred Keanu Reeves as protagonist Neo, a computer programmer who is prophesied as “The One” to liberate humanity from the machines controlling "The Matrix." Its success spawned three sequels: 2003’s "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," as well as 2021’s "The Matrix Resurrections."
Smith previously explained his decision not to take the role — which was also offered to Reeves’s Speed costar Sandra Bullock — revealing he simply didn’t get the concept proposed to him at the time.
“After we made "Men in Black," the "Wachowskis" came in, and they had only done one movie,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel in 2019. “As it turns out, they're geniuses, but there's a fine line in a pitch meeting between a genius and what I experienced in the meeting.”
Despite the film’s success — or, perhaps, because of it — Smith defended his decision to turn down the role.
“Keanu was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect,” he declared. “I probably would’ve messed "The Matrix" up. I would’ve ruined it. So I did y’all a favor!”
