Even though Laurence Fishburne played Morpheus, a pivotal character in the sci-fi franchise, the 59-year-old actor has confirmed that he hasn’t been requested to return for The Matrix 4, the upcoming fourth instalment.
While the upcoming film will bring back Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss to play Neo and Trinity, Morpheus doesn’t seem to feature in the plans for the franchise moving forward. Those hoping for a special cameo will also be sorely disappointed.
“I have not been invited. Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great,” Laurence Fishburne revealed to New York Magazine, confirming that he is still fond of the character but won’t be in The Matrix 4. “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. 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.”
Agent Smith’s Hugo Weaving also confirmed earlier this year that he wouldn’t be part of The Matrix 4 (which pushed back to a premiere date of April 2, 2022) due to a scheduling conflict:
“It’s unfortunate but actually I had this offer [for The Visit] and then the offer came from The Matrix, so I knew it was happening but I didn’t have dates,” Weaving said. “I thought [I] could do both and it took eight weeks to work out that the dates would work – I held off on accepting [a role in The Visit during that time]. I was in touch with [director] Lana Wachowski, but in the end she decided that the dates weren’t going to work. So we’d sorted the dates and then she sort of changed her mind. They’re pushing on ahead without me.”
One possible reason for Laurence Fishburne‘s Morpheus not returning is that the character was “officially” killed off in The Matrix Online, a multiplayer online role-playing game that continued the story of the films.
Other actors expected to return include Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe and Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian. They are joined by newcomers Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Jonathan Groff, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
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