No, Will Smith will not star in a new Matrix movie

Earlier today, Will Smith He took to Instagram to casually share some news with his nearly 70 million followers. The reel, which you can see below, recaps The star’s famous career decision Back in 1997 to choose Wild West more Matrix. “What will it be? Matrix “Were you like Will Smith as Neo?” the post asks, then adds, “Wake up, Will… The Matrix has you…”

Without comment or context, most people already knew Smith had declined Matrixwhich became a genre-defining blockbuster, and he can also recall with a chuckle how Wild West It ended up coming to light — the post immediately ignited the fires of online speculation.

The most obvious response would be Will Smith appearing in a new movie Matrix Film – and such a project is already underway. according to News that broke last yearDrew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods) He wrote and directed V Matrix The film, with series co-creator Lana Wachowski as executive producer. At the time, no casting or story details were shared, and that remains the case, and that includes anything regarding Smith’s involvement.

After his Instagram post went viral, io9 reached out to Warner Bros., but the company that owns it Matrix-I didn’t know what Smith was talking about. A similar “Oh, no” reaction came from The Hollywood Reporter’s film editor, Aaron Crouch, who tweeted Through his personal X account “Will Smith is not starring in the new film Matrix film.”

other trade, diverseShe doubled down on this by publishing an article about Smith’s participation under the headline, “Will Smith not starring in new movie.” Matrix Film, so what Neo-related project is it teasing? Although some online have speculated that it may be related to a Super Bowl commercial — the game takes place on February 9, so it’s time to start dropping hints — the post’s theory is that it has something to do with Smith’s last Occupation: “It seems likely that his cyberpunk project will involve music, since Smith has teased that he is preparing to release his first album in 20 years.”

Smith is a 2021 Oscar winner King Richard— an honor forever associated with one of the strangest moments in Oscars telecast history — and one that has recently been glamorized Bad Boys: Ride or Diehis fourth Bad boys The buddy cop movie opposite Martin Lawrence.

What do you think about the reclamation of Smith New? Do you think new music is on the way, or something else?

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