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The Matrix is back with a surprise fourth instalment of the iconic sci-fi franchise.
Several new actors are joining original cast members Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, including Neil Patrick Harris; Priyanka Chopra; Christina Ricci; and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, who was played by the Laurence Fishburne in the original trilogy.
Yahya confirmed the news earlier this year saying at first, he could not believe he was reading a script in the same room as Reeves who plays humanity’s saviour, Neo. “I remember Keanu and his first line. I looked up, and there was Keanu, and I said, ‘Oh s***, I’m really in The Matrix’. It was just Keanu in that voice,” he said.
The third film in the original trilogy, which was directed by siblings Lana and Lilly Wachowski, ended with Neo sacrificing himself to secure peace between Earth’s machine rulers and the last human city of Zion.
And, uh, Neo, Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus were all dead by the end of that film, making it a bit of a mystery how they’ll be back for part four.
Part four of the blockbuster series is directed by Lana, after Lilly decided against another collaboration with her sister, saying another film in the franchise was “unappealing”.
READ MORE | Can't we all be like Keanu Reeves? Here's how The Matrix actor's unflinching kindness and chivalry have won him millions of heartsBECOMING MORPHEUS
When he auditioned for the role of Morpheus, Yahya (35) says he could not wrap his head around how he could replace Fishburne, who had an integral part of the original trilogy. Last year Fishburne said he had “not been invited” back and was not sure why, but he wished the cast well. Fishburne and Reeves last shared the screen together in the John Wick movies.
Yahya said while he has nothing but respect for Fishburne’s performance, he had no interest in copying it.
“Laurence already did what had to be done. I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus,” he said.
Fans, he said, will see Morpheus on a journey of self-discovery.
“There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that,” he said.
SECOND CAREER
The actor from New Orleans, who is best known for his roles as the villainous Black Manta in Aquaman and Dr Manhattan in the Watchmen TV adaptation, says he was not much of a movie fan growing up.
“I was aware [of The Matrix], but it wasn’t something I watched 10 or 15 times,” he told GQ magazine.
Born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, Yahya was raised in both faiths but ended up at church “because that’s where the girls were” he joked.
He studied architecture at university and after graduating, he worked as a city planner in San Francisco, and never had any ambition to become an actor.
That changed when he was retrenched and had a flashback to acting classes he took at university.
“I remembered that acting thing. I had a really fun time with it when I took the class, and I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to go try that for a little bit’.”
He was accepted at the Yale School of Drama and then, four years after making his acting debut in 2016, in the series The Get Down, he won his first Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in Watchmen.
“The people who believed in me first, I call you my early investors. I love you. I appreciate you. And this one is for you,” he said.
READ MORE | No Morpheus for Matrix 4 after Laurence Fishburne gets booted
AN INSPIRATION
Yahya, who is very private about his personal life, says he is planning on working behind the camera, because he wants his work to have “real meaning and connection”.
The actor, who will be returning to the DC universe in the Aquaman sequel next year, says that for many aspiring actors, Hollywood is the goal and for him to have his name on billboards alongside Keanu Reeves’ name, is “huge”.
“To be validated, to hold my own, and to go on talk shows where they say my entire name, that’s inspiring.”
SOURCES: DEADLINE.COM, THEHOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM, ELLE.COM, INDIEWIRE.COM, GQMAGAZINE.CO.UK, THEGAURDIAN.COM, GQMIDDLEEAST.COM, SCREENRANT.COM, CBSNEWS.COM, SCREENRANT.COM, EW.COM
