We've known for a while that Hugo Weaving wouldn't be making his return as Agent Smith in The Matrix 4 due to scheduling conflicts, but the outspoken actor has now elaborated on what led to that decision being made.
In the original trilogy, Smith was essentially the lead villain and a great foe for Neo to face (their fight scenes were nothing short of extraordinary). Now, Weaving has explained that it was director Lana Wachowski who made the decision to "pull the plug" on his return as Agent Smith, explaining that he was even part of table read.
"Lana Wachowski had rung me at the beginning of last year," the actor told Coming Soon in a recent interview. "Lana was very keen for me to be involved in The Matrix. There was a reading with Keanu [Reeves], Carrie[-Anne Moss] and myself and a few others from the old family."
It sounds like Weaving had reservations about returning for The Matrix 4, saying that he read the script and "loved a lot of it and wasn't sure about other bits." It turns out there was a clash with his commitments to the National Theatre, and even though a deal was worked out, "Lana decided she didn't think it was going to work. So, she pulled the plug on the negotiations. That's where it ended up. She basically didn't feel that my commitment to the National Theatre was going to fit in with the dates that she had in mind for me."
A number of cast members are returning, and there have been some impressive new additions as well. However, Laurence Fishburne's absence has upset a lot of fans, while Wachowski's track record is very hit-and-miss, meaning there's always a chance The Matrix 4 might not be that great regardless of who does or doesn't return.
We'll have to wait and see.
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