Jada Pinkett Smith recalls her initial reaction to reading The Matrix script. The actress starred in the second and third films in the series, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as Niobe, a member of the Resistance and captain of the ships Logos and Logos II. Pinkett Smith's husband, Will, was originally up for the lead role of Neo, which eventually to Keanu Reeves. Now, both have returned for the reboot of the franchise, The Matrix Resurrections, releasing December 22 in theaters and on HBO Max.
Written and directed by the Wachowski siblings, 1999's The Matrix was a seminal science-fiction movie that is often credited with starting the cyberpunk craze. In his career-defining role, the film finds Reeves as a computer hacker who discovers that humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality created by intelligent machines to keep humans docile while they feed on them for energy. Once they unlock the truth of the Matrix, Neo and others are able to defy the laws of physics and easily upload various skillsets and abilities into their repertoires.
During a recent discussion with EW, Pinkett Smith recalled her initial reaction to reading the script for the original Matrix movie from 1999. Though Pinkett Smith only starred in the two sequels that followed, her husband was up for the role of Neo. This gave her the chance to see the storyboards for the film, which she compared to Japanese anime. Read what Pinkett Smith had to say below:
I remember getting the storyboards when they wanted Will to play Neo. I was going, "Man, this is really revolutionary. This is like Japanese anime [but in] live-action." It had never been done before. I'm a huge Japanese animation fan, so from then on, they had me. When they called me to play Niobe [for the 2003 sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions], I didn't have to read anything. I was in.
The Wachowskis took significant inspiration from Japanese animation when crafting their approach to The Matrix's action scenes. The directing duo have not been shy about admitting the heavy influence that Mamoru Oshii's classic 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell has had on The Matrix. The franchise even received an animated companion in 2003 written and produced by the Wachowskis, called The Animatrix, which is comprised of 9 animated short films that provide backstory for the film's universe.
The Matrix Resurrections is directed solely by Lana Wachowski, her first in the series without her sibling, Lilly, though there's no reason to believe the fourth film won't feature more of the anime-inspired action that made the original Matrix so beloved. Judging by the trailers, it appears that Resurrections will. Although it remains to be seen if it can recapture the spirit of The Matrix, or disappoint like the two previous sequels did.
Source: EW
