Keanu Reeves won’t be the only Neo in ‘The Matrix 4’. Reportedly, the studio is looking for a younger actor to play a Neo at a younger age– a neo Neo. Variety reporter Justin Kroll appeared on the My Mom’s Basement podcast where he revealed that this casting search was on. It isn’t known how much younger this Neo will be, but presumably it will be significantly– like maybe a child– otherwise, they could just use that fancy digital de-aging process that has been displayed in the various Marvel, and ‘Star Wars’ movies as well as in ‘It: Chapter Two’. There’s also whatever the hell they did to create the younger Will Smith in ‘Gemini Man’. (It sounds like he’s pretty much all CGI.)
Prior to the new ‘Matrix’ movie being confirmed, there had been rumors that Michael B. Jordan would play a younger version of Laurence Fishburn’s Morpheus. If they are looking for a new, younger Neo, this could give credence to the earlier report. Perhaps the new ‘Matrix’ involves time travel of some kind. The films already make regular use of the warping of reality.
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It should be noted that Fishburn has not been confirmed to be coming back for this new film, but it’s hard to imagine diving back into ‘The Matrix’ without Morpheus. Or at least A Morpheus.
For the time being, only Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) have been confirmed to be returning. Lana Wachowski who co-wrote and co-directed the original trilogy is back to co-write and direct this new entry, which Reeves has described as being “very ambitious.”
Of course, there is also the popular internet theory that Keanu Reeves is actually immortal and doesn’t age. If they need a younger Keanu, why not just use Keanu?
The new ‘Matrix’ is expected to begin filming in 2020. A release date has not been announced.
If you want a glimpse of Reeves in his first on-camera performance, check out this clip from the Canadian sitcom ‘Hangin’ In’:
