The Matrix 4 cast: How THIS megastar turned down role of Neo

The Matrix 4 is set to be one of the most anticipated films of the next few years. With Keanu Reeves set to return as Neo, fans are desperate to find out what he will be up to. But one man turned down the role of a lifetime.

Who turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix?

It turns out Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Will Smith was offered the part in The Matrix, but turned it down.

His wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who went on to join the cast as Niobe in The Matrix Reloaded, reportedly tried to convince him to take the role.

She told Entertainment Weekly: “I knew it would be revolutionary.

“I was like, ‘Will, you’ve got to do this movie!’ He didn’t fully get it, but I did.”

Jada was auditioning for Trinity at the time, but in the end she had the role of Niobe written for her by The Wachowskis.

Of Carrie Anne Moss’s casting as Trinity, she said: “I thought Carrie-Anne was the perfect Trinity, and there was no way I could do what she did.

“And that’s the only time in my career I’ve said that about losing a role.”

Who is in the new Matrix film?

While Neo, played by Keanu Reeves in the end, is definitely returning, along with Carrie Anne Moss’s Trinity, it is currently unknown who else may rejoin the cast.

Jada’s character Niobe survived long enough to see Zion, as did Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne.

But at present neither have confirmed, and it has even been suggested Morpheus may be “recast for a younger take.”

This could mean a whole host of things about the plot, with rumours ranging from prequels to time travel circulating among fans.

Lana Wachowski, co-creator of the franchise, has been taken on to write, direct and produce the film, therefore plot details are pretty slim at present.

Hopefully her ideas for the new film will be ones which her stars “get” completely.

The Matrix is expected to be out in cinemas in 2021, and production is expected to begin at the beginning of 2020.