Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Carrie-Anne Moss, jada pinkett smith, keanu reeves, lana wachowski, Matrix 4, The Matrix, Warner Bros, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Matrix 4 Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Promises Fans Will Like Film

Published Mon, 21 Sep 2020 20:15:01 -0500

by Tom Chang

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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is one of the most up-and-coming superstars in Hollywood and is part of the newest to join The Matrix franchise. While promoting his appearance in the Netflix film The Trial of the Chicago 7, the actor spoke to Collider about what little he can offer in the untitled fourth film. "My reaction to the script [was], 'Wow, people are really gonna like this. I like this. People are really gonna like this,'" Abdul-Mateen said. "It's different, and it's the same, you know, at the same time. It's a really, really, very intelligent blend of what we want and what we may not know that we want."

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Photo by DFree / Shutterstock.com — Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Photo by DFree / Shutterstock.com

Abdul-Mateen II recalled when he met director Lana Wachowski, who's fronting the latest Matrix for the first time without her sibling Lily Wachowski. "My first meeting with Lana wasn't even really an audition," he said. "It was a meeting about getting to know me, and getting to know her, and our histories, and how I am as an actor. Lana was interested in creating a family before she was interested in creating a cast. I was very fortunate enough to be welcomed into that family. To be over in Berlin, making something special is definitely something that I'm proud to say I'm a part of."

The Matrix Co-Director Lily Wachowski Says Film is Trans Allegory — Keanu Reeves as Neo/Thomas Anderson in The Matrix (1999). Image courtesy of Warner Bros

Abdul-Mateen II joins other new cast members in Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra to lead the new film with stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Reeves and Moss, who play Neo and Trinity respectively, appeared in all three previous films. Pinkett-Smith's Niobe appeared in the second and third films, Reloaded (2003) and Revolutions (2003), respectively. Co-writing with Wachowski are Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. Warner Bros will release Matrix 4 on April 1, 2022. The Trial of the Chicago 7 releases October 16 on Netflix.