Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has joined the cast of Matrix 4 in an unknown lead role. The popular sci-fi franchise from the early 2000s is finally coming back in a major way. After talks of a Matrix reboot, Warner Bros. announced earlier this year that Lana Wachowski will return to write and direct a fourth installment of the franchise. In addition to her return, it was also confirmed that Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise their roles as Neo and Trinity.
The confirmation of Matrix 4 came as quite the surprise and has left fans of the franchise with a lot of questions over how it will happen. For those who don't remember, both Neo and Trinity died at the end of Matrix Revolutions. Details on how they will return have yet to be revealed, but fans have also wondered if other familiar faces from the series could appear too. That isn't the case with the first piece of casting for Matrix 4 though.
According to Variety, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has landed a lead role in Matrix 4. The casting comes after Wachowski reportedly spent several days meeting with potential actors for the mystery role. Despite rumors that a younger version of Morpheus could be part of Matrix 4, it has yet to be confirmed that this is the role Abdul-Mateen will play. Variety's Justin Kroll clarified on Twitter that even if the role isn't young Morpheus, he could be connected to the character in some other way.
Even after just a few years of acting, Abdul-Mateen has quickly emerged as a rising star in Hollywood. He first impressed with his role in Netflix's The Get Down and recently did the same in an episode of Black Mirror. But, he's also been part of some fairly big projects already, with roles in The Greatest Showman, Aquaman, and Us. He will next be featured in season 1 of HBO's Watchmen series and has upcoming roles in the Jordan Peele-produced Candyman reboot and Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7.
With Matrix 4 added to his schedule, audiences will see a lot of Abdul-Mateen in the coming years. Production is slated to begin on the long-awaited sequel at the beginning of 2020, so the next few months should be full with additional Matrix 4 details. But, this could also be the time when Abdul-Mateen's role is revealed. He would make for a stellar young Morpheus, but he could just as well be a brand new character. There's even the possibility that he could be a descendant or relative of Laurence Fishburne's iconic character. In any case, Abdul-Mateen is an exciting first addition to the cast of Matrix 4 and hopefully an indication of who else will join the sequel.
Source: Variety