Is Will Smith in The Matrix Reboot? Fans Are Speculating After He Posts Cryptic Message

“The question remains: What would ‘The Matrix’ have been like with Will Smith as Neo?” read a video Will Smith shared on Instagram

 

Will Smith attends An Evening with Will Smith at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live; Keanu Reeves The Matrix,1999

Will Smith and Keanu Reeves. Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty; Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Will Smith sent fans speculating over whether he’ll be entering the world of the Matrix soon.

The actor, 56, shared a cryptic video on Instagram Monday, Jan. 6, that displayed the iconic franchise’s computer type with the following message: “In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time.”

“But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?” the text added. “Wake up, Will… The Matrix has you…”

In the comment section, one follower asked, “Is this a hint that you’re gonna be in the next matrix movie?” “Don’t play with me!” wrote another, as someone else commented, “If yall do Keanu and Will in the same movie that will be record breaking crazy.”

PEOPLE can confirm, however, that Smith is currently not involved in the upcoming Matrix reboot.

Smith famously turned down The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West. The actor shared his reasoning at the time in a 2019 video essay shared to YouTube.

“They came in and it was like they’d only done one movie, I think it was called Bound,” he said at the time of filmmaker sibling duo Lilly and Lana Wachowski. “And they came in and they made a pitch for The Matrix. As it turns out they’re geniuses. But there’s a fine line between genius and what I experienced in the meeting.”

In that video, Smith said he left the meeting unimpressed. “So I made Wild Wild West,” he said, admitting in 2019 that he is “not proud” of that movie. However, he did note that The Matrix may not have been such a commercial success had he taken Keanu Reeves’ role.

“If I had done it, because I’m Black, then Morpheus wouldn’t have been Black because they were looking at Val Kilmer. I was going to be Neo and Val Kilmer was going to be Morpheus,” he said. Laurence Fishburne famously played Morpehus in the franchise. “I probably would’ve messed The Matrix up, I would’ve ruined it. So I did y’all a favor.”

Will Smith attends An Evening with Will Smith at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live on October 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Will Smith on Oct. 3, 2024.Rebecca Sapp/Getty

The Matrix franchise returned in 2021 with The Matrix Resurrections, its first entry since 2003.

In April 2024, Warner Bros. announced that Drew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods) will write and direct a new movie in the franchise. The new movie will be the first film not to directly involve the Wachowskis, though Lana, 59, is expected to work as an executive producer.

“Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” Warner Bros. Motion Pictures president of production Jesse Ehrman said in a statement at that time.