Insiders have revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Will Smith will not be reuniting with Warner Bros. and director Drew Goddard for a fresh venture into the iconic Matrix universe. This disclosure unveils a curious mystery that Smith subtly ignited on Monday via an enigmatic Instagram post. The post, adorned with a Matrix-inspired digital font, recounted how Smith declined the starring role of Neo in the groundbreaking 1999 sci-fi saga The Matrix, helmed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski.
The caption read: "Back in 1997, the Wachowski siblings presented Will Smith with the pivotal role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith politely declined, opting instead for Wild Wild West, a film he deemed more aligned with his career trajectory at that time. Yet, the intrigue persists: How might The Matrix have unfolded with Will Smith as Neo? Rise and shine, Will… The Matrix has ensnared you in its digital web…"
While The Matrix emerged as a generation-defining phenomenon, Barry Sonnenfeld's Wild Wild West faced a critical backlash and box office disaster. Smith, starring alongside Kevin Kline as a gun-slinging former Civil War hero, suffered a rare setback in his reign as the 1990s box office king.
It remains uncertain whether Smith's Monday post was mere teasing or a hint at something more profound. Goddard, the talented screenwriter and director behind The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods, and World War Z, was tapped last year to pen and helm a new Matrix feature for Warner Bros. Notably, this will mark the franchise's first film not directed by a Wachowski, although Lana Wachowski will serve as an executive producer on the ambitious project.
Over two and a half decades ago, The Matrix revolutionized audiences' imaginations with its mind-bending narrative, groundbreaking special effects, and Keanu Reeves' iconic portrayal. The film, which amassed $467 million globally, became a staple of pop culture. Sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions followed suit in 2003, extending the franchise's legacy, with The Matrix: Resurrections arriving in 2021.
Smith's journey to fame began as a rapper and the star of the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, catapulting him into the ranks of the world's most prominent movie stars through films like Independence Day (1996) and Men in Black (1997). Last year, he scored another hit with co-star Martin Lawrence in Sony's Bad Boys: Ride or Die, marking a comeback in his film career following the scandal where he slapped Oscar host Chris Rock during a live television broadcast in 2022.
