Other than Morpheus, could more characters from the original trilogy be recast in The Matrix 4? Predictably, the current cast list for the upcoming Matrix sequel has fans scratching heads and stroking beards. On one hand, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are confirmed to return even though both Neo and Trinity died at the end of The Matrix Revolutions. On the other, characters who were still alive at the end of the previous film, most notably Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, are suspiciously absent from the modern lineup.
Indeed, Morpheus has long been the subject of rumor and innuendo surrounding The Matrix 4. Even before the new film was officially announced, there were reports that Warner Bros. were looking at a new Matrix movie centered around a younger Morpheus. The Matrix 4‘s distinct lack of Fishburne only adds fuel to that fire, and many are speculating that Yahya Abdul-Mateen, one of several new faces joining the franchise, is set to play that long-rumored young Morpheus.
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While it’s possible that Morpheus is a special case in The Matrix 4, recasting the character does open the door for other legacy figures to appear in 2022 under the guise of completely different actors. Here’s the why, how and who behind more potential recastings in The Matrix 4.
Why Morpheus May Not Be The Only Recast Character
The possibility of a young Morpheus in The Matrix 4 hinges on one of the film’s biggest mysteries – the setting. What kind of story and scenario could lead to Neo and Trinity looking how fans remember them (plus an extra 15 years or so) but Morpheus appearing more youthful than ever before? One exciting possibility is time travel – another rumor that precedes The Matrix 4‘s official announcement. This theory suggests Neo and Trinity will be brought back to deal with a brand new threat long after the conclusion of the original trilogy. In order to save the day, the pair have to travel through time, visiting previous versions of the Matrix and long-crumbled eras of Zion. One stop on their journey could be Zion shortly before the arrival of Neo, allowing an encounter with Morpheus as a young, rebellious firebrand. Should The Matrix 4 do its own version of Avengers: Endgame‘s ‘Time Heist,’ Morpheus wouldn’t necessarily be the only recognizable character Neo and Trinity bump into.
While undoubtedly the easiest option, time travel isn’t necessary to introduce recast characters in The Matrix 4. Lana Wachowski’s upcoming revival could take place within the rebooted Matrix world, following on from the end of the original trilogy in which Neo’s death hit the big red reset button. With previous Matrix builds, this process would kill all but a small handful of humans, but Neo managed to avoid that eventuality. Since Neo broke the cycle, the world that comes next can, in theory, be whatever Wachowski chooses. Perhaps the Machines‘ solution to the non-fatal reboot is the populate the simulated reality with avatars younger than their real-world counterparts. This would mean Neo and Trinity predominantly interact with a younger Morpheus for the bulk of The Matrix 4, before finally meeting the original Laurence Fishburne after reaching Zion, thereby giving the actor a small cameo. Of course, anyone else who was alive at the end of The Matrix Revolutions would be given the same treatment.
Which Other Matrix Characters Could Be Recast?
Aside from Morpheus, who else could plausibly be recast in The Matrix 4? The most likely candidates would be those who populated Zion in the original trilogy. If the time travel theory proves accurate, Neo and Trinity coming face-to-face with Cypher would be a fascinating sub-plot. Joe Pantoliano’s character infamously turned villain in 1999’s The Matrix, and crossing paths with a younger Cypher would present the classic time travel dilemma of being unable to kill a future enemy because it’ll mess with the flow of time. Along with Cypher, the likes of Tank, Switch and Dozer could also appear in the past, all played by different actors. Another intriguing possibility would be that the time-travelling Neo and Trinity meet the latter’s younger self. Neo would’ve still been plugged-in during Morpheus’ youth, but Trinity could be present, allowing for another famous time-twisting trope – a character desperately trying to avoid their past self.
If The Matrix 4 takes place in the rebooted setting, rather than delving down the rabbit hole of time travel, then different possibilities arise. In this scenario, the likes of Cypher and Switch couldn’t return, since they already died and probably aren’t deemed important enough to be brought back alongside Neo and Trinity. Instead, young Morpheus could be joined by Jason Lock (the Zion leader played by Harry Lennix) in his pre-commander days.
Recasts won’t necessarily be exclusive to human characters. The likes of The Oracle and Agent Smith can physically appear however they choose in the world of The Matrix. The Oracle already changed actresses once due to the sad death of Gloria Foster, with the role passing to Mary Alice for The Matrix Revolutions. Given her omnipotent nature as a program inside the Matrix, it would be more surprising if a recast Oracle didn’t appear in The Matrix 4. Furthermore, original Agent Smith actor, Hugo Weaving, has already revealed that he was approached for the new Matrix film, only to turn the offer down. This confirms that Agent Smith is, or at least was, a feature of Wachowski’s new story, but with Weaving not willing to reprise his role as the digital villain, the character will need to be recast. Like The Oracle, Smith is a figure whose physical appearance is open to some flexibility.
Some Matrix characters could be recast for the fourth movie, but made older instead of younger. Clayton Watson played Kid in the original Matrix trilogy and was firmly established as the future of Zion, as well as a loyal disciple of The One. If future Zion does come under threat, Kid is most likely to be advocating the revival of Neo as a solution, and could be a wizened old man by the time of The Matrix 4. Another character set up as the “future” in the original Matrix trilogy was Sati, and the end of The Matrix Revolutions even implied the child was responsible for building the rebooted digital world. Being a Matrix program, Sati doesn’t necessarily age, but since the original young actress is now a fully-grown adult, the character would still require recasting. Priyanka Chopra will feature in The Matrix 4, and is around the right age to play a future Sati.
Why Young Morpheus Could Be A One-Off
There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Morpheus could be joined by other recast characters in The Matrix 4, but it’s also possible the change of actor would be a one-off. The Matrix 4‘s motivation for recasting Morpheus is one of the film’s biggest mysteries at present, but an answer can perhaps be found in The Matrix Online, a 2005 MMORPG that was released as a canon continuation of the movie trilogy. Most franchises would undoubtedly ignore the game entirely, but a few nagging parallels suggest The Matrix Online won’t be entirely retconned after all. Firstly, the game’s storyline sowed the seeds for both Neo and Trinity to return from the dead, something that will be key to The Matrix 4. The video game also features The Merovingian as a major villain and, conveniently enough, Lambert Wilson’s character from The Matrix Reloaded is reportedly joining the list of returnees for 2022. Another key plot point in The Matrix Online was the death of Morpheus, and this could be the very reason the character is being recast in the first place.
Assuming The Matrix 4 is taking The Matrix Online into account, the reborn Neo and Trinity would surely be horrified to learn of Morpheus’ death, especially since he went out trying desperately to retrieve the body of Neo. Whatever new mission Neo will be involved in, he’ll need his trusted mentor and advisor on hand, and this could mean an earlier version of Morpheus is generated from the Matrix’s archives to join the fight. In this case, the recast would the result on of one-off act performed to help Neo and Trinity complete their mission in The Matrix 4. It’s highly unlikely the Matrix would need to bring any other character back in such a way.
- The Matrix 4 (2022)Release date: Apr 01, 2022