When The Matrix 4 was officially confirmed last summer, many fans of the hit sci-fi film saga were eager to see the original cast return to their iconic roles. With stars like Keanu Reeves and Jada Pinkett-Smith confirmed to "enter The Matrix" again, and be joined by new actors like Black Mirror's Yahya Abdul-Mateen — he's set to play a young Morpheus — everything seemed to be falling in place perfectly for the revival that many have been waiting nearly two decades to see come to fruition. However, it's looking like those who rooted for the film's legendary bad guy Agent Smith will unfortunately be disappointed following news that actor Hugo Weaving will not be returning for the next installment.
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According to IndieWire, Weaving confirmed his departure from Matrix 4 due to a prior commitment to his theater performance in "The Visit" at the National Theater. Speaking with Time Out London about the scheduling conflict, he said, "It’s unfortunate but actually I had this offer [for “The Visit”] and then the offer came from “The Matrix”, so I knew it was happening but I didn’t have dates." Even though he thought it was possible to juggle both roles, Hugo found it impossible to act in both productions, stating, "I thought [I] could do both and it took eight weeks to work out that the dates would work – I held off on accepting [a role in “The Visit” during that time]. I was in touch with [director] Lana Wachowski, but in the end she decided that the dates weren’t going to work. So we’d sorted the dates and then she sort of changed her mind. They’re pushing on ahead without me."
Some are suggesting that Agent Smith may still return, but obviously with a different actor. While story-wise that may be a suitable option, especially with a rumored plot centering around younger versions of core characters, not having Hugo Weaving in a role that he helped make iconic would be a bit of a slap in the face to hardcore fans.
We'll wait to see the fate of Agent Smith when more news about The Matrix 4 becomes available, but in the meantime see one of the character's most classic scenes from the entire series below:
