Keanu Reeves will not be ‘The One’ to lead The Matrix 4 – the role has gone to Aquaman‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The long-awaited continuation of the series will star the Black Mirror actor at the forefront, along with franchise legends Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity).
Variety broke the news of the casting announcement, after sources told the publication director Lana Wachowski had been meeting with actors for the secret role over the past week.
A further entry in The Matrix world has been discussed for some time: at one point, rumours pointed towards the film being a Morpheus origin story with Michael B. Jordan at the helm.
However, the project was announced in August, with Warner Bros. Picture Group’s chairperson Toby Emmerich confirming Lana (one half of ‘The Wachowskis’ alongside Lilly) would be co-writing and directing.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Emmerich said:
Lana is a true visionary – a singular and original creative filmmaker – and we are thrilled that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter in The Matrix universe.
The film, with the script written by Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell with Grant Hill on producing duties, is expected to begin production some time in 2020.
The Matrix, released in 1999, revolutionised action cinema, weaving thought-provoking sci-fi that’s become a perennial part of pop culture.
As well as having ground-breaking special effects, it proved spectacle could be smart (until the slightly dumber, still fun sequels).
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Lana said:
Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now. I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.
As per Variety, sources close to the film’s team could not confirm which role Abdul-Mateen will take on.
The announcement adds to the actor’s recent successes: he appeared in Jordan Peele’s hit horror Us earlier this year and is due to star in HBO’s Watchmen TV series, which also stars Regina King and Don Johnson.
Are you ready to see how deep the rabbit hole goes… again?
The Matrix 4 is expected to hit cinemas in 2022.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.