Over the weekend, we reported that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been cast as a younger version of Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus in The Matrix 4. Upon hearing the news, most assumed that this meant the movie would be a prequel. However, that doesn’t quite fit with some of the other confirmed details on the film. For example, it’s been revealed that Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity. Given Morpheus’ age by the time he liberates Neo, how could the two interact in a prequel?
Well, it seems that The Matrix 4 is not a prequel after all. According to our sources – the same ones who gave us a ton of intel on The Rise of Skywalker, which has all been confirmed now – the reason Morpheus looks young is because he’s simply making himself appear younger while in the Matrix. Not because the movie is a prequel. This could also indicate that Fishburne will be playing the role in the real world.
And while it’s an interesting plot wrinkle, it may also be a practical one. You see, Fishburne is now 58 and though he’s in pretty great shape, he may not want to put himself through a grueling martial arts training regime in order to play out the action sequences.
If this does prove to be the case, then the movie will explore the rebooted Matrix we briefly see at the end of Revolutions. This is billed as a better version of the virtual world in which humanity and the machines are at peace, with everyone being offered the opportunity to leave the Matrix if they choose. How exactly that would work was never defined, but it seems they’re going to have to address the question in the third sequel.
Personally, I can’t wait. The Matrix franchise has lain dormant for about a decade now and I think the time is right for some truly mind-bending action sequences that take full advantage of the leaps in technology since the early 2000s.