The Matrix 4 is gearing up to be one of 2021’s biggest films. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith will reprise their beloved roles. One person not coming back due to scheduling conflicts is Hugo Weaving. Unfortunately, director Lana Wachowski had him written for a return.

Returning To The Stage

While Weaving is best known for his film roles, he has also excelled in theatre. The actor was booked to star in the stage production of The Visit alongside Oscar-nominated actress Lesley Manville. Around this time, another major offer came to the table. “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,” Weaving told Time Out London.

As any actor would, Weaving figured he could make time for both projects. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. “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,” Weaving also told Time Out London.

Possibly Getting Replaced?

Weaving’s character Agent Smith is a crucial part of The Matrix franchise. Writing Agent Smith out completely would be a disservice to longtime Matrix fans. There’s a small possibility of replacing Weaving with another actor.

The Wachowskis have replaced actors in the past. Gloria Foster found fame on the big screen portraying The Oracle in The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. While filming The Matrix Reloaded, the actress died from diabetes. The directors replaced her with Mary Alice for The Matrix Revolutions and Enter the Matrix. In The Animatrix, all but two actors reprised their roles. Paul Goddard, who played Agent Brown, was replaced by Matt McKenzie. Robert Taylor, who portrayed Agent Jones, was replaced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

A Last-Minute Change?

Filming for The Matrix 4 began in February 2020 in San Francisco. Due to the coronavirus, production on the film was temporarily halted. Unfortunately, the same epidemic forced Weaving’s run on The Visit to be canceled. Production on The Matrix 4 is slated to restart sometime in July with shoots in Germany and Chicago. Since Weaving won’t be on stage during that time, he could possibly make a last-minute appearance.

Photo Courtesy: [Warner Bros./YouTube]

The Fight for the Future Begins…Again

If Weaving does make an appearance, he’ll be on screen with some new faces to the franchise. Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are among those starring in The Matrix 4. As expected, their roles are being kept under wraps right now.

The movie’s script was penned by Wachowski, Aleksandar Hemon, and David Mitchell. This won’t be the first time Wachowski and Mitchell have worked together. Along with her sister Lily, Lana did a film adaptation of Mitchell’s novel Cloud Atlas. This film reunited the Wachowskis with Weaving. The directors also worked with Mitchell on Netflix’s sci-fi drama series Sense8. For Hemon, this will be his first movie script. The writer has earned accolades for his novels The Lazarus Project and Nowhere Man. Hemon helped co-write the series finale of Sense8 with Wachowski and Mitchell.

With some familiar faces, fans of The Matrix are eager to see where this next chapter goes. The Matrix 4 is still scheduled to be released on May 21, 2021. With John Wick 4‘s move to 2022, The Matrix 4 will be the Memorial Day hit for next year.