Breaking news from the realm of “Will Smith Almost Did This Cool Thing Once” — the Fresh Prince himself is not donning leather trench coats or dodging slow-mo bullets for The Matrix 5. Why? Well, because he posted a cryptic Instagram video, and nothing screams “definitely not involved” like an enigmatic post on social media.
Let’s rewind to 1997: the Wachowskis handed Will Smith the golden ticket to become Neo, humanity’s leather-clad savior. But instead of choosing red pills and existential crises, Will said, “Nah, I’ll take steampunk cowboy robots.” And thus, Wild Wild West happened—a film that lives on in infamy (and maybe on a few guilty pleasure lists).
The Instagram video in question recounts this fateful decision with the dramatic flair of a History Channel documentary:
“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. 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?”
Cue the big twist ending of the video:
“Wake up, Will. The matrix has you.”
Oh, the drama! If only cryptic text overlays were Oscar-worthy.
Meanwhile, according to Variety, The Matrix 5 is officially a go, and no, Will isn’t plugging himself into the franchise. At least, not yet. (Fingers crossed for a surprise cameo where he yells, “Aw, hell no!” and karate-chops a Sentinel.) Instead, the talented Drew Goddard of The Martian fame is set to write and direct the upcoming installment.
So, while Keanu Reeves continues being everyone’s favorite cyberpunk messiah, Will Smith will remain in the alternate reality where mechanical spiders trump kung-fu battles in mid-air. And honestly, maybe that’s for the best.
