Will Smith will reportedly not be starring in a sequel to The Matrix, despite posting a teaser suggesting that he will.
On Monday (January 6), Smith shared a cryptic video on Instagram which said: “In 1997, the Wachowski’s 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.
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“But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo? Wake up, Will… The Matrix has you…”
The clip was a nod to the “follow the white rabbit” computer scene in the beginning of the classic sci-fi action film.
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Despite his suggestive post, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that Will Smith will not appear in an upcoming Matrix movie from Warner Bros. and writer-director Drew Goddard, which was confirmed last year.
No further details are available at this time but there is speculation that Smith’s video could be something to do with a Super Bowl commercial instead.
As his post says, the Oscar-winning actor was famously offered the lead role in The Matrix, as were other actors such as Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Val Kilmer, before Keanu Reeves was ultimately cast as Neo.
Will Smith, who has been more focused on music than movies of late, recently used a concert performance in San Diego to address unsubstantiated rumors linking him to Diddy’s alleged sex crimes.
“The world we’re in right now, it’s really hard for y’all to discern what’s real and what’s true,” he said on stage. “I been seeing y’all memes and stuff. People been making memes. I see the memes. Some of the stuff is funny.
“I haven’t addressed any of this publicly but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don’t got shit to do with Puffy so y’all can stop all them memes. Y’all can stop all of that bullshit. I ain’t been nowhere near no damn freak-off. I do enough of my own shit. Don’t be putting me in other people’s shit.”
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He continued: “I ain’t been nowhere near that man, ain’t did none of that stupid shit. So whenever y’all hear that, if somebody say it, it’s a damn lie. I don’t even like baby oil.
“I usually don’t respond to dumb-ass stuff because like, it’s so many things. People say so much stuff, but that one, y’all memes was doing too much. Y’all was having me mad.”
