State Champ Radio The Matrix
Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty
It’s been over 25 years since the release of The Matrix, the science-fiction film that took hold of popular culture, and that has led to right-wing groups misinterpeting elements of the film. Co-creator Lilly Wachowski isn’t surprised by that, and explained why in a recent podcast appearance.“You have to let go of your work. People are gonna interpret it however they interpret it,” Wachowski said on the So True With Caleb Herron podcast. “I look at all of the crazy, mutant theories around The Matrix films and the crazy ideologies that those films helped create and I just go, ‘What are you doing? No! That’s wrong!’ But I have to let it go to some extent … You’re never gonna be able to make absolutely every person believe what you initially intended.”The main scene in question is the “red pill/blue pill” sequence, where Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus offers the red pill to Keanu Reeves’ Neo in order to wake him up from the Matrix. The right-wing interpretation defines being “red-pilled” as someone who has awakened to the truth about society, more often than not aligning with far-right ideals. Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump have used the “red pill” reference, to which Lilly Wachowski replied, “F— both of you.”Wachowski had mentioned earlier in the interview that the movie she and her sister Lena created was a metaphor for the transgender experience, leading her to state: “Right-wing ideology appropriates absolutely everything. They appropriate left-wing points of view and they mutate them for their own propaganda, for their own to obfuscate what the real message is.”“That is what fascism does,” Wachowski added. “It takes these things, these ideas that are generally acknowledged as questions or investigations or truisms about humanity and life, and they turn them to something else so that they remove the weight of what those things represent.”
Murray Close / Will Smith
Will Smith’s legendary boneheaded decisions regarding choosing film roles early in his career will forever haunt him.
The rapper and actor has had numerous notable roles in his ongoing Hollywood career. Still, he will forever be remembered by movie fans for turning down the lead role of Neo in The Matrix franchise to star in one of the biggest flops of his career, Wild Wild West.
It turns out that he has been holding onto another epic failure, having turned down a role in the Christopher Nolan blockbuster Inception.
The Independence Day star shared during an interview with radio station KISS XTRA that Nolan pitched the 2010 mind-bending science fiction film to him, but he said nah because “didn’t get it.”
“I’ve never said that out loud,” Smith said in the interview. “And now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities, they don’t pitch well.”
Bruh.
He didn’t reveal which role Nolan was pitching to him, but the lead role ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio, and we honestly couldn’t see anyone else in it now.
Smith Is Still Hurt About Turning Down The Matrix
Smith also revisited his decision to turn down the starring role in The Matrix, calling it one of his “beautiful scars.”
Instead of being the one, a role that eventually went to Keanu Reeves, catapulting his movie career, Smith decided to star as Jim West in Wild Wild West.
Smith was banking on his newly minted status as a summer blockbuster king following the success of his previous films, Independence Day and Men in Black, but that turned out not to be the case.
The Matrix went on to be a critical success in 1999, spawning two successful sequels and a reboot, while Wild Wild West went on to win several Razzies and was panned by critics.
We are sure Smith has learned some valuable lessons from his box office misses.
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Source: Warner Bros. / The Matrix Resurrections
Sci-fi fans agree that 2022’s The Matrix: Resurrections left much to be desired, but that isn’t keeping Warner Bros. from moving forward with another installment in the cult classic futuristic film saga.
According to Deadline, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard has been tapped to pen and direct a new Matrix film and though there is no word on whether Keanu Reeves (Neo), Carrie Anne-Moss (Trinity) or Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) will return, we can’t imagine the studio would move forward with the series without bringing back any of those actors (though Fishburne wasn’t a part of Resurrections). Unless Warner Bros. plans on rebooting the series entirely, Reeves should be returning in some capacity in the upcoming film. At least we hope he does.
Per Deadline:
“Drew came to Warner Bros with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world, by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25 years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters,” said Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros Motion Pictures President of Production. “The entire team at Warner Bros Discovery is thrilled for Drew to be making this new Matrix film, adding his vision to the cinematic canon the Wachowskis spent a quarter of a century building here at the studio.”
Said Goddard, “It is not hyperbole to say The Matrix films changed both cinema and my life. Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”
Whoa! Sounds like they may actually be moving away from Keanue Reeve’s Neo and focusing on brand new characters? While we don’t know what direction the new Matrix film may be going, fans of the franchise will revolt if the OG characters aren’t included in Goddard’s vision. Laurence Fishburne not being in The Matrix: Resurrections was one of the biggest reasons fans didn’t enjoy the 2022 installment. If everyone involved in this knows what’s good for them, they won’t repeat the same mistake again.
What do y’all think of Warner Bros. churning out another Matrix film? Should they leave well enough alone or continue to explore that world? Let us know in the comments section below.
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