While Will Smith doesn’t currently have a project set for the 2025 movie schedule, that doesn’t mean the man’s not busy. Between his Netflix reunion movie with Michael Bay and the long-gestating I Am Legend 2, things we never thought would happen have become realities on the Academy Award winner’s plate. That pattern is particularly interesting to keep in mind today, as Smith’s social media presence has shared a video related to one of his most infamous passes: the 1999 classic The Matrix.
Oh, we definitely need to talk about what’s going on here, because I’m sure you have the same pressing question I have at the moment: what does this mean? Let’s talk it out.
Will Smith’s Matrix Tease Is Mysterious, To Say The Least
By now, a number of cinephiles may be aware of that time Will Smith turned down The Matrix. The King Richard star shared that very story when he posted a cryptic video on social media that seems to be asking, and potentially answering one of the biggest “what if” questions movie fans have asked for decades. Take a look at the full video below, and brace yourself for a little bit of nostalgia:
So we’re supposedly going to see what it would have looked like if Mr. Smith fought Agent Smith in The Matrix. Considering The Matrix 5’s 2024 announcement has us all expecting the first entry in the series not written or directed by Lana and/or Lilly Wachowski, the continuation of one of the best action franchises of all time feels like it’d be ripe for a new lead actor.
However, there’s already some suggestions and evidence that seems to suggest we shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. In fact, Will Smith’s “What If…” might not even be a cinematic venture at all. So let’s talk more about a plausible scenario that’s entered the conversation, and why we shouldn’t be expecting any IMAX teasers with Will Smith pulling bullet time moves just yet.
What Will Smith’s Cryptic Matrix Post Could Really Mean
So, with The Matrix 5 on Hollywood’s radar, could we see Will Smith playing his variant of Neo? It honestly doesn’t look like it, and I’m not terribly surprised. Perhaps the major refutation that sank this ship of dreams came from THR’s film editor Aaron Crouch, as he must have done some digging of his own to be able to share this simple rebuttal on X:
Will Smith is not starring in the new Matrix movie.
Well, if this is to be believed, I guess I can just file these hopes along with all those previous rumors of low altitude helicopter chases, and various eras of history shown in parallel Matrix worlds. Though I am grateful that this rumor seems to have been dispelled much quicker than all of those other concepts I remember hearing about during the original trilogy’s production.
Kicking Matrix 5 to the metaphorical curb leaves us with a more likely possibility that people have started to whisper about: Will Smith could be doing a Super Bowl ad that centers around his alternate version of Neo. Yeah, somehow that sounds like the less crazy possibility in this scenario.
I can’t even begin to fathom what product would be using this concept to sell its wares. Is SquareSpace trying to one-up its ad starring Martin and Francesca Scorsese? Could Uber Eats be making a play to beat its own entry in the canon of Super Bowl LVIII’s funniest commercials? Something something A.I.?
I don’t know what product this concept would go with, but it does sound like a good gag to make for an unforgettable spot during the big game. For now, we’re going to have to sit tight for more information on what Will Smith is putting into the world here. But with the timing seeming to map up, and a Matrix 5 appearance supposedly off the table, Smith’s appearance as Neo probably is a commercial being teased for the near future.
So, to anyone who’s ready to follow wherever this Rabbit Hole goes, keep your eyes open. When the time comes, the truth will be revealed, and none of us will be able to go back to the moment before we learned it.
