Laurence Fishburne adamantly states he won't play Morpheus in The Matrix 4. After revolutionizing sci-fi movies with the first Matrix movie, the franchise hit a rough end in 2003 when two underwhelming sequels arrived in theaters a few months apart. The Matrix Revolutions seemed to have a definitive ending with both Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) dying. Despite this conclusion, it was finally announced in 2019 that Matrix 4 was officially happening instead of the long-rumored reboot.
The announcement of Matrix 4 came with the news that several people involved with the original trilogy were returning. Lana Wachowski is back to write and direct the highly anticipated sequel. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss headline the list of returning stars, with Jada Pinkett-Smith also expected to appear as Niobe. But, some major members of the franchise won't be back. Hugo Weaving has previously confirmed fans won't see him as Agent Smith once more, and there have been repeated questions about the appearance of Morpheus.
Laurence Fishburne played Morpheus in all three previous Matrix movies, and he is currently doing press for his new movie, The Ice Road. This included an interview with Jake Hamilton, who asked Fishburne about the possibility of him appearing in Matrix 4. Unfortunately for fans hoping to see him play Morpheus later this year, Fishburne firmly denied that this will happen, saying "I'm not involved, and you'll have to talk to Lana Wachowski, and she'll answer that question for you."
Fishburne not appearing in Matrix 4 is quite surprising, all things considered. Unlike Neo and Trinity, Morpheus did survive Matrix Revolutions. He led the charge on Zion in the fight against the Machines and got to see the city become free once again. This makes Morpheus the most likely character to return in Matrix 4, so him being the one who won't is something the movie will need to explain. Of course, the absence of Fishburne doesn't necessarily mean that Morpheus isn't involved in Matrix 4 in some capacity.
One of the biggest rumors about Matrix 4's cast and story is that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is playing a younger Morpheus. This was rumored around the time that the Aquaman star was first revealed to be in talks to join the movie, but it has yet to be confirmed. If Abdul-Mateen is a young Morpheus, then the movie's setting could explain why Fishburne isn't around. Then again, maybe Matrix 4 is adhering to the story of a continuation video game and Morpheus is dead during the movie. No matter what explanation is given for Fishburne not appearing in Matrix 4, fans will certainly continue to hold out hope that this will change somehow if the franchise continues on.
Source: Jake Hamilton
