Will Smith may be choosing between the red and blue pills on a screen near you some time soon, if his latest Instagram post is to be believed. The Bad Boys actor posted a cryptic message written in the famous Matrix OCR-A font to his Instagram account on Monday, recalling (in the third person) that in 1997, he turned down the starring role in the The Matrix. “He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time,” the message reads. 1999’s Wild Wild West was a critical and commercial failure and earned itself five Razzies, while The Matrix went on to spawn a franchise and cult following with Keanu Reeves in its lead role. Reeves reprised his role for 2021’s The Matrix: Resurrections, the fourth film in the franchise. Smith’s post seems to indicate he’s ready to rewrite history, as the posts posits, “What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?” The video ends with the words, “Wake up, Will. The matrix has you.” Last year, Warner Bros. announced an upcoming fifth film in The Matrix franchise would be written and directed by Drew Goddard, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Martian.
