Laurence Fishburne reveals why he was not in fourth ‘Matrix’ movie
Laurence Fishburne has opened up—once again—about his surprising absence from The Matrix Resurrections, and it turns out the actor actually did try to plug himself back into the iconic sci-fi universe.
Appearing on The View to promote his latest project Amateur, Fishburne, 63, didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the green code-filled room when asked if he’d ever return to the franchise as Morpheus.
His answer? Cautiously hopeful but grounded in reality.
“It depends on the circumstances — who is involved, how well the script has been written, if they offer me,” he said.
And then came the zinger, “Cause, you know, I offered my services to the fourth Matrix, and they didn’t respond well.”
Yes, Morpheus himself knocked—and no one opened the door.
Fishburne went on to clarify just how game he was for a return, even if it never came to be.
“So hey, it’s not like I didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’d like to offer my services.’ I did,” he shared. “And for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. Okay. But that’s the truth. So we’ll see.”
This isn’t the first time Fishburne’s commented on the reboot snub.
Back in 2020, he told Vulture he had “not been invited” to reprise the role he made iconic. Taking it in stride, he added, “Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it’s great.”
When Variety circled back in 2022 to see if he felt like he’d missed out, his response was peak cool, “Not really.” Still, he tipped his hat to his former co-stars: “But I thought Carrie-Anne and Keanu really did their thing.”
As for the movie itself? Fishburne kept it real.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” he admitted, “And it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.”
For those wondering, The Matrix Resurrections reimagined Morpheus as a digital AI version—because of course it did—since the original character had long since died in the timeline.
So while fans might have missed seeing Fishburne rocking those signature shades again, at least they know he was willing. Whether or not that ship has permanently sailed?
As Morpheus might say, we’ll have to free our minds and wait.
