Original Morpheus star Laurence Fishburne reveals his condition for a return inThe Matrix 5after his “offer” forResurrectionswas not received well. Fishburne starred inTheMatrixtrilogy as Morpheus, a resistance leader and mentor who believes in the prophecy of The One and guides Neo (Keanu Reeves) to awaken his true potential against the machines. Fishburne didn’t return for 2021’sThe Matrix Resurrectionsand instead, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played an AI program based on Morpheus.
During a recent appearance onThe View,Laurence Fishburne was asked if he would be willing to return as Morpheus inThe Matrix 5, which is currently in development. The actor says it “depends on the circumstances,” including “who is involved,” “how well the script has been written,” and if they even offer him the role. Fishburne said he offered to return inThe Matrix Resurrections, though “they didn’t respond well to that.” Read his full comments or watch the video below:
It depends on the circumstances, who is involved, how well the script has been written, if they offer me… because I offered my services to the fourth Matrix, and they didn’t respond well to that. It’s not like I didn’t say, “Oh, I’d like to offer my services.” I did, and for whatever reason, that didn’t happen, OK. That’s the truth. So we’ll see.
What Laurence Fishburne’s Comments Mean For Morpheus' Matrix 5 Return
Could It Happen?
In April 2024, it was announced thatThe Matrix 5was in the works, which will bewritten and directed by Drew Goddard, who previously pennedCloverfield,World War Z, andThe Martian, the last of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Goddard has also directedThe Cabin in the Woods,Bad Times at the El Royale, and penned the upcomingProject Hail Mary.The Matrix 5will be the first film in the franchise not written or directed by the Wachowskis, though Lana remains on board as an executive producer.
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It’s unclear which previous characters, if any, will return inThe Matrix 5, though Warner Bros. executive Jesse Ehrman did say the story “will advance the fantasy world without straying too far from what made the series a success.” While Laurence Fishburne wasn’t asked to return asMorpheus inThe Matrix Resurrections, which was co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, that doesn’t exactly eliminate the possibility of him returning for the fifth film. The idea for the film came directly from Goddard, so it will seemingly depend on whether his vision includes Fishburne’s version of Morpheus.
Our Take On Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus Returning In The Matrix 5
He Needs To Return
Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, along with Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith, were two of the original trilogy’s most important and beloved characters. In turn,The Matrix Resurrectionsdeeply divided fansfor not only excluding Fishburne and Weaving’s versions of their iconic characters, but for inexplicably merging both Morpheus and Agent Smith into an AI program played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. IfThe Matrix 5truly wants to return the franchise to form, Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus is a must.
