As filming is currently underway for The Matrix 4, fans can expect to see the reprising of several iconic roles, including Neo, Trinity and, Niobe, but not Morpheus, who was played by Laurence Fishburne. The actor spoke with New York Magazine and informed the outlet that he was “not invited” for the fourth installment.
“I have not been invited. Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great,” Fishburne revealed.
Regarding his role in the original The Matrix trilogy, Fishburne said:
“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.”
Although it is unclear as to where the fourth installment would pick up from, one reason for Fishburne’s absence in the upcoming film could be due to this character dying from gunshot wounds in “The Matrix Online,” a multiplayer online role-playing game that was described as a continuation of the franchise’s storyline.
Lana Wachowski will be directing “The Matrix 4” from a script she penned with Aleksandar Hemon (“Sense8”) and David Mitchell (“Sense8”). The film will be adding big names to the franchise, including Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Neil Patrick Harris.
In June, as a result of delays from the COVID-19 shutdown, Warner Bros. said it was stopping the 2021 release of the film, pushing it to spring 2022.
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The three previous films in the franchise The Matrix from 1999, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both from 2003 – have garnished over $1.6 billion at the global box office and were all top-10 domestic hits in their respective years of release.
“It’s the old story in a modern context,” Fishburne said of The Matrix. “It’s the One, the Christ, the Buddha, the Godhead, the fully realized being told through the digital age.”
