New ‘Matrix Resurrections’ Clip Features a Laurence Fisburne Cameo
“Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia.”
Those are the words of Morpheus to Neo in the latest clip from The Matrix Resurrections. Except this isn’t the Morpheus we know; it’s a younger version played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of Laurence Fishburne. But, this clip does feature Fishburne’s Morpheus as well, as the scene from The Matrix where Neo and Morpheus originally meet is playing on a ripped theater screen behind Neo while the younger Morpheus says this line.
So you have the 2021 Neo and Morpheus talking in front of a screen showing 1999 Neo and Morpheus talking. Say it with me now, in your best Keanu voice: Whoa.
You can watch the clip below, which also teases a little more of how the mechanics of “redpills” sneaking around the Matrix has evolved in the last 20 years. In the original film they had to find landlines to dive into and out of the Matrix but since landlines basically no longer exist, keeping that as a mechanic would have felt very dated. You can see a little of what they do instead here:
Fishburne said publicly that he wasn’t invited back for The Matrix Resurrections, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is clearly paying Morpheus for much of the film. It’s not clear, though, whether Fishburne’s cameo in this scene is his only appearance, or whether there will be other flashbacks or scenes from The Matrix shown in Resurrections.
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited fourth film in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity. The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).
The Matrix Resurrections premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22.