'The Matrix 4' Cast Keeps Growing, Adds 'Iron Fist' Star Jessica Henwick
Another day, another bit of Matrix 4 casting news. The latest: Iron Fist actress Jessica Henwick is set to join the sequel in – you guessed it – an undisclosed role. Every new cast member to the franchise announced thus far is playing a mysterious part we know absolutely nothing about, joining returning franchise actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Deadline broke the news about Jessica Henwick joining the Matrix 4 cast. While we have zero info regarding Henwick's character, the report states that Henwick "performed quite strongly during the audition process." Deadline also indicates that the script is rumored to feature a female character similar to Reeves' Neo "at the forefront of the new film." Is this who Henwick is playing? We'll see. Henwick was the best part of the otherwise awful Iron Fist, so I'm happy to see her get more work in bigger projects.
Henwick joins an ever-growing cast that will likely include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jada Pinkett Smith reprising her Matrix sequels role Niobe. Still suspiciously absent: Laurence Fishburne. The actor was a major part of the first three Matrix films, and it seems rather odd that Reeves, Moss, and Smith would all return without Fishburne. Perhaps there are negotiations going on that we don't know about, perhaps Fishburne doesn't want to return for some reason, or perhaps the production is very good at keeping secrets.
Original franchise co-director Lana Wachowski is returning to helm the film, with a script by Wachowski, Aleksandar Hemon, and David Mitchell. The sequel is set to start shooting sometime in January.
A new Matrix movie has been a possibility for some time now. In 2017, Zak Penn was hired to write a treatment for a new Matrix movie, and there was some talk of Michael B. Jordan joining the cast. It's not clear if some of Penn's ideas are being rolled into this new movie, or if that project is completely dead now. I'm guessing it's the latter.
The first Matrix remains an iconic action blockbuster – a film that felt fresh, exciting, and original. I can distinctly remember seeing it opening weekend, having no idea what it even was, and being completely blown away (along with the rest of the theater) during the opening scene where Moss' Trinity leaps into the air and the camera spins around her.
As for the other two sequels? Well...I know they have their defenders, and there are some cool sequences here and there (the freeway scene in The Matrix Reloaded rules), but overall, I found them to be disappointments. Here's hoping The Matrix 4 fares better.