Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will neither confirm nor deny his role as a young Morpheus in the highly-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections. The fourth film in the Wachowskis' franchise will see the returns of series vets Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity, Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe, Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian and Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson. The group lead an ensemble cast of Matrix newcomers including Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, Priyanka Chopra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, Ellen Hollman and Christina Ricci.
Development on a new installment in The Matrix franchise has been been in the works for nearly five years, with Free Guy's Zak Penn entering talks with Warner Bros. in 2017 to write a treatment for a new film with the studio eyeing Michael B. Jordan to star. Though the status on that film, which Penn has stated is separate from another planned film in the franchise, is currently unknown, WB officially announced in 2019 that The Matrix 4 was a go with original co-writer/co-director Lana Wachowski returning to direct solo and write with David Mitchell and Aleskandar Hemon while Lilly worked on the Showtime series Work in Progress. Production officially began on the film, now subtitled Resurrections, in February 2020 but didn't officially wrap until November due to delays caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In time for the release of Candyman, Abdul-Mateen II caught up with Variety to discuss Nia DaCosta's acclaimed horror sequel. As the conversation shifted to the actor's character in The Matrix Resurrections, Abdul-Mateen II became tight-lipped and offered a cheeky reply neither confirming nor denying the rumors of his playing a young Morpheus. See what Abdul-Mateen II said below:
"In The Matrix? Yeah, I think you’re breaking up a little bit. All of a sudden, I can’t hear you so well."
Given the large amount of secrecy and anticipation surrounding The Matrix Resurrections, it's easy to understand why Abdul-Mateen II is remaining tight-lipped about his role in the film. Additionally, with many expressing concerns and doubts about a prequel film centered on Morpheus replacing Laurence Fishburne in his iconic role, revealing the Candyman's role as such this far ahead of its release could spell disaster for the film's box office performance should long-time fans cry fowl over the decision. Abdul-Mateen II's silence on the matter could prove an indicator he is in fact taking over as Morpheus in the film, though with plot details still being kept entirely under wraps, it's difficult to determine just how such a shift in performers will fit into the story.
With Fishburne himself having confirmed he isn't in The Matrix Resurrections multiple times, it does add some weight to the theories that Abdul-Mateen II could portray a young Morpheus in the film. Not to mention that the actor has previously stated that he wasn't asked by Wachowski to return for the film, begging the question of whether a Morpheus return is being saved for a potential follow-up or will take on a younger form in the fourquel. Only time will tell when The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on December 22.
Source: Variety
