Keanu Reeves won’t be the only actor portraying Neo in The Matrix 4, as they’re also looking for a younger actor to portray the character.
Variety reporter Justin Kroll has recently recorded an episode of the “My Mom’s Basement” podcast touching upon The Matrix 4. During the podcast, he explained that Warner Bros. are in the process of searching for a younger actor to portray Neo, the role that proved that Keanu Reeves had what it took to become an action movie actor.
With The Matrix 4, it’s been rumored that there may be younger versions of some of the franchise’s major characters, with the possible involvement of a younger Morpheus (originally portrayed by Lawrence Fishburne, whose involvement in the film has not yet been confirmed) being the source of a lot of rumors. An actor being looked at to play a young Neo does not necessarily confirm anything, but it does suggest that there may be something to those initial rumors.
Jokes about Keanu Reeves not aging and possibly being immortal aside, if the movie ends up playing with time in some capacity (be it through flashbacks, time travel, or copies of the various characters that we’ve met before), then it would make sense to have a younger actor take on the character. The original film was shot over two decades ago, and even presuming that the young versions of these characters are meant to match up with those ages, not everybody ages as slowly as Keanu Reeves does.
The original Matrix and its two sequels collectively earned a total of $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss portrayed Neo and Trinity respectively in all three chapters of the Matrix film series, each one directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Plot details on The Matrix 4 are pretty scarce at this point in time.
Lana Wachowski is directing The Matrix 4 from a script she co-wrote with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchel. The film is set to star Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. The Matrix 4 is reportedly eyeing an early 2020 production start with Lana Wachowski also serving as a producer alongside Grant Hill.
The Matrix 4 does not yet have a release date. Stay tuned for the latest news on Keanu Reeves and The Matrix 4!
Source: Justin Kroll
