Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) wasn’t even asked to be in The Matrix 4

Why are Keanu Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) in The Matrix 4 but Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) isn’t? The answer surprised me.

Nearly two decades after The Matrix trilogy concluded with The Matrix Revolutions, director Lana Wachowski is getting the gang back together for a sequel. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are returning as Neo and Trinity respectfully, while new cast members like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra and Jonathan Groff are coming aboard.

It’s an impressive cast, but from the start, someone was missing: where was Laurence Fishburne, who played Neo’s mentor Morpheus in all three movies? Reeves, Moss and Fishburne were the cornerstones of that series, playing a trio of characters dedicated to battling the machines who had taken over the planet and trapped most of humanity in a digital simulation.

When I heard that Reeves and Moss were returning but Fishburne wasn’t, I assumed it was because he wasn’t available, or maybe he didn’t want to do it. As it ends up, no: he wasn’t even asked.

Fishburne revealed this to New York Magazine. “I have not been invited,” he said. “I wish them well. I hope it’s great.”

It’s cool that he’s being classy about it, but this strikes me as weird, especially since (SPOILERS for 17-year-old movie incoming) The Matrix Revolutions ended with both Neo and Trinity dead. Morpheus was the only member of the original trio left alive, but Neo and Trinity are coming back for The Matrix 4 and Morpheus isn’t?

Of course, we’re talking about a story that’s all about digital illusions and false realities and so on and so forth; I’m sure there are lots of ways Neo and Trinity could be brought back. I just think it’s odd that Morpheus isn’t with them.

Even if he isn’t in the new movie, Fishburne is fully aware of how important the original trilogy was for his career. “It is probably the role that I’ll be best remembered for, which is great; it’s not the only thing I’ll be remembered for, which is better,” he said. “What I get with him is I’ve got Darth Vader in this hand, and I’ve got Obi-Wan in that hand. I’ve got Bruce Lee, I’ve got Muhammad Ali shuffled in there, and I’ve got kung fu … It’s the old story in a modern context. It’s the One, the Christ, the Buddha, the Godhead, the fully realized being told through the digital age.”

The Matrix 4 has returned to filming after taking a COVID-19 break. If all goes well, it’ll be in theaters (remember those?) on April 1, 2022.

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h/t CBR