No, Will Smith Is not Starring in a New Matrix Film

Earlier as we speak, Will Smith took to Instagram to casually share some information along with his almost 70 million followers. The reel, which you’ll see beneath, recaps the superstar’s notorious career decision again in 1997 to select Wild Wild West over The Matrix. “What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”, the publish asks, then provides “Get up, Will… the Matrix has you…”

With no caption or context—most individuals already knew Smith turned down The Matrix, which went on to grow to be a genre-defining blockbuster, and likewise can recall with a chuckle at how Wild Wild West ended up turning out—the publish instantly set a hearth of hypothesis throughout the web.

The obvious response could be that Will Smith is showing in a brand new Matrix film—and such a venture is certainly within the works. In keeping with news that broke last year, Drew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin within the Woods) is writing and directing a fifth Matrix movie, with sequence co-creator Lana Wachowski aboard as govt producer. On the time, no casting or story particulars have been shared, and that’s nonetheless the case—and that features something to do with Smith’s involvement.

After his Instagram publish went viral, io9 reached out to Warner Bros., however the firm—which owns The Matrix—didn’t know what Smith was speaking about. An identical “uh, no” response got here from Hollywood Reporter movie editor Aaron Crouch, who tweeted through his personal X account that “Will Smith isn’t starring within the new Matrix film.”

One other commerce, Variety, doubled down on that by really working an article about Smith’s publish beneath the headline “Will Smith Isn’t Starring in New Matrix Film, So What Neo-Associated Venture Is He Teasing?” Although some on the web speculated it is perhaps tied right into a Tremendous Bowl industrial—the sport is February 9, so the time is ripe to begin dropping hints—the publication’s concept is that it’s one thing to do with Smith’s different profession: “It appears extra probably that his cyberpunk-related enterprise will contain music, since Smith has teased that he’s on the point of drop his first album in 20 years.”

Smith, who received an Oscar for 2021’s King Richard—an honor eternally linked with one of many oddest moments in Oscar telecast historical past—most not too long ago starred in Unhealthy Boys: Experience or Die, his fourth Unhealthy Boys buddy-cop film reverse Martin Lawrence.

What’s your tackle Smith’s Neo reclamation? Do you assume new music is on the best way, or one thing else?

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