The Matrix Resurrections wasn’t the comeback story that Warner Bros. was hoping for when it hit theaters and HBO Max last December. By and large, the film was dismissed as a subpar sequel to the first film. But one of its more questionable creative decisions involved casting Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the new Morpheus, replacing Laurence Fishburne from the original trilogy. Now, while speaking with Variety, Fishburne finally shared his thoughts on the latest entry in the Matrix saga.
Fishburne’s absence from Resurrections raised a lot of eyebrows, especially since the film also marked the return of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as Neo and Trinity, respectively. Reeves and Moss’ characters famously died in The Matrix Revolutions in 2003. Morpheus, on the other hand, was still standing by the time the credits rolled. Although his death in The Matrix Online might be considered canon to the franchise. Whatever the reason, Fishburne still made time to see the movie himself. And like many other fans, he thought it could have been better.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” said Fishburne. “And it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. But I thought Carrie-Anne and Keanu really did their thing. Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
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The new film introduced Abdul-Mateen’s Morpheus as an A.I. program based on Fishburne’s character. But while Fishburne confessed that he didn’t miss being being part of the franchise, he still appeared in Resurrections via archival clips from the previous three movies. Additionally, he wasn’t the only actor who had to settle for being replaced. Jonathan Groff also made an appearance in the film as Agent Smith, taking over the role from Hugo Weaving.
Unfortunately, Resurrections’ day-and-date streaming release seemed to put a big dent in its box office performance. The film only managed earn $157.3 million against a $190 million budget, making it the lowest-grossing Matrix installment. These dismal numbers also prompted Village Roadshow to file a lawsuit against Warner Bros. earlier this year. As of last May, the suit had gone to arbitration.
Do you agree with Fishburne’s thoughts on The Matrix Resurrections? Let us know in the comment section below!
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