Does Will Smith have his sights on The Matrix.
Roughly 26 years after the Academy Award winner declined the lead role of Neo in the action and sci-fi franchise, which ultimately went to Keanu Reeves, on Monday (January 6), Smith tied himself to The Matrix with a cryptic Instagram post.
"In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix," the message began. "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 video concluded, "Wake up, Will... The Matrix has you..."
Smith's post sparked speculation that he might star in the next installment of the franchise, however, Variety reports that Smith is not slated to star in the film. Per Deadline, Drew Goddard is set to write and direct the fifth Matrix installment, a follow-up to 2021's The Matrix Resurrections.
Smith was originally approached for the role of Neo, while his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith auditioned for Trinity, which went to Carrie-Anne Moss, after a vigorous audition which she recounted in her memoir, Worthy. Pinkett Smith would later be cast as Niobe in 2003's The Matrix Reloaded.
Released in the same year as The Matrix, steampunk Western action-comedy Wild Wild West was critically panned, although it grossed $222.1 million worldwide.
The Matrix wouldn't be the first commercially successful flick that Smith turned down, as he also passed on Boyz in the Hood, Django Unchained and Rush Hour, per Movie Web.