Will Smith teased that a reboot of The Matrix is in the works in a recent post on Instagram. The post implies that Smith will be cast in this new Matrix as Neo, the role made famous by Keanu Reeves, or at the very least some other Neo-like “chosen one” character.
View this post on Instagram
In the video Smith recently shared, words scroll across the screen in the style of the green text that originally reached out to Keanu as New in The Matrix. The main difference was instead of green, the text was orange.
The video displayed the following text:
“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…”
This has fans of the original movie very concerned for two major reasons.
Firstly, Will Smith, once a celebrated and beloved Hollywood celebrity, destroyed his reputation in a single night during the Academy Awards in 2022 when he stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock for a softball joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
The event became known as “the slap heard around the world.”
Will smith slaps Chris rock at the Oscars. pic.twitter.com/QEepWnmTEd
— 👑 (@kodstrangeer) June 30, 2024
Since then, Smith has been banned from Academy events and has appeared in fewer films with diminishing returns.
And second, the fourth Matrix movie, The Matrix Resurrections was an abysmal critical and commercial failure. The film was so bad that many theorized that Lana Wachowski, co-creator of The Matrix, actually made a terrible movie on purpose to spite Warner Bros. for yet another soulless cash grab.
Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix (1999), Warner Bros.
At the time, there were no plans for a Matrix 5. But, this is Hollywood, and the corporate film machine is incapable or at the very least unwilling to let the franchise die.
So, after controversies and failures, why are we now getting fifth Matrix movie? And why cast Will Smith?
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence star in Columbia Pictures BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE. Photo by: Frank Masi
It could be that Hollywood plans to use him to push yet another DEI agenda, with the elevator pitch being “The Matrix, but Neo is a black man.” Perhaps Smith is trying to reboot his career by using the cryptic messaging to stir up hype and buzz. Or perhaps he, like most of Hollywood these days, is desperate for success and is using a popular brand to get it.
Whatever the reason, we at That Park Place remain skeptical and will continue to report on any further developments.
What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below!
Raven Redgrave, AKA Writing Raven, is the co-host of the Gothic Therapy YouTube channel with her husband MasterOfTheTDS. The channel features a look at pop culture, entertainment, and gaming with insightful commentary, sharp critiques, and a dose of dark humor.
