Warner Bros. is set to relaunch The Matrix franchise with a fourth film co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski. However, Laurence Fishburne will not be reprising his role as Morpheus for the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise despite having appeared in all three of the previous films.
In August 2020, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures officially announced the studio was moving forward with a fourth chapter of The Matrix. After having directed the previous three Matrix films with her sister, Lilly Wachowski, filmmaker Lana Wachowski will helm the fourth installment on her own based on a screenplay she co-wrote with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchell. Franchise veterans Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise their respective roles as Neo and Trinity alongside Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe and Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian. Joining the returning favorites are newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Eréndira Ibarra, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, and Ellen Hollman in undisclosed roles.
Although Laurence Fishburne won't be returning to portray Morpheus in The Matrix 4, he expressed his best wishes to the team working on the film during an interview with New York Magazine. "I have not been invited. Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great," Fishburne said of his absence in the sequel. "It is probably the role that I’ll be best remembered for, which is great; it’s not the only thing I’ll be remembered for, which is better," he said before delving into why the role of Morpheus offered him a lot to explore. "What I get with him is I’ve got Darth Vader in this hand, and I’ve got Obi-Wan in that hand. I’ve got Bruce Lee, I’ve got Muhammad Ali shuffled in there, and I’ve got kung fu."
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little longer than expected for The Matrix 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Initially scheduled to hit theaters on May 21, 2021, Warner Bros. opted to push back the release date of The Matrix 4 until April 2022 after production was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany. During an interview with the Associated Press, Keanu Reeves noted that he is "grateful to be working" now that production has resumed after a five-month hiatus and noted that the measures taken to protect everyone from being exposed to COVID-19 have not disrupted the set. "There's thoughtful, effective protocols in place. The rhythm of filmmaking has not really been interrupted or impacted, and that’s because of all the hard work and organization," Reeves explained.
The Matrix debuted in theaters in 1999 and was praised for both its groundbreaking visual effects and its exploration of complex themes, including the transgender experience and the struggles involved in transitioning. The film grossed over $460 million worldwide and won multiple accolades, including four Academy Awards, paving the way for two sequels that led to the Matrix franchise collectively earning $1.6 billion globally.
Of course, the delays only give fans more time to speculate on what might unfold in the latest chapter of The Matrix franchise. One of the more popular theories among the fanbase is that while Laurence Fishburne may not be returning, someone new might have been cast to portray a younger Morpheus.
The Matrix 4 is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 1, 2022.
Source: Empire, Associated Press