It's been clear for a while now that Laurence Fishburne won't be part of The Matrix 4, though that hasn't stopped many fans from hoping he could make some sort of surprise appearance.
Unfortunately, the Ant-Man and The Wasp star has now confirmed that he won't be making his return as the leader of the resistance fighting back against the machines. "I have not been invited," the actor revealed. "Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it's great."
It's crazy to think that Lana Wachowski decided against bringing Fishburne back, but if rumours are to be believed, Aquaman's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is going to playing a younger version of Morpheus. That could explain why the original isn't needed, though it is a shock that he hasn't even been asked to come back for a cameo appearance of some sort (unless that's being kept a secret).
For what it's worth, though, the actor is well-aware of how important Morpheus was to his career.
"It is probably the role that I'll be best remembered for, which is great; it's not the only thing I'll be remembered for, which is better," Fishburne said. "What I get with him is I've got Darth Vader in this hand, and I've got Obi-Wan in that hand. I've got Bruce Lee, I've got Muhammad Ali shuffled in there, and I've got kung fu. It's the old story in a modern context. It's the One, the Christ, the Buddha, the Godhead, the fully realized being told through the digital age."
A number of other original actors are coming back for The Matrix 4, but clearly, Fishburne will not be among them. Due to COVID-19, we'll be waiting a whole year longer to see what the movie has in store for us (originally, it was set or May 2021, but it's now coming April 2022 instead).
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