Will Smith posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account talking about his connection with the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix. This lead many to believe he is involved with the upcoming sequel, but the truth behind the post is reportedly something entirely different.
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“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix” the post begins. “Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo? Wake up Will… The Matrix has you…”
Understandably, this led to speculation that Smith was involved with the upcoming fifth Matrix film, due to be directed by Drew Goddard. However, according to sources reported by Deadline, it is in reference to an upcoming music project.
Smith has made no further comment, but a new album would be his first new release in nearly 20 years following 2005’s Lost and Found. He has released numerous single recently, beginning with the gospel-themed You Can Make It featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir.
Smith’s reputation has suffered almost three years on from the 2022 Academy Awards, when he took to the stage to slap host Chris Rock following a joke made about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. The actor has made one film since then, 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, which was a box office success.
Back in 1999, Smith would choose to star in action-fantasy Wild Wild West over The Matrix, with the former becoming a notorious box office failure, while the latter would be an era-defining hit at the turn of the century. Years later, the actor would call his film “a thorn in my side”.
Lana Wachowski, one of the original directors of The Matrix, brought the franchise back in 2021 with fourth film The Matrix Resurrections, along with original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. The film was a box office failure, partly due to being released simultaneously on HBO Max, while NME’s review criticised its “clumsy exposition and signposting self-referential moments”.
Recently, Will Smith’s classic rap The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was revealed as the highest earning TV theme song of all time. Smith has also announced a return to live performance, playing his first European concert at 2025’s Positiv Festival in France.
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