Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks About Playing Morpheus in THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Candyman) is taking on the role of a young Morpheus in the upcoming film The Matrix: Resurrections. The character was originally played by Laurence Fishburne, and fans were kinda bummed to learn that Fishburne wasn’t asked to come back. But, the reasoning behind this younger version of Morpheus will be explained in the film.
During a recent interview with EW, Abdul-Mateen talked about taking on the role of Morpheus in the movie and shared that he has nothing but respect for Fishburne's performance, and had no interest in replicating it. He said:
"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."
The actor doesn’t really go into any details on how important Morpheus is to the plot, but it’s Morpheus, so I’m sure that he is playing a big key role in the story. Abdul-Mateen went on to tease, “this is definitely a different iteration of the character.” He then added:
"I play a character who's definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. This character is 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.
What the viewers will come to understand is that there are many rules of the Matrix. Age, appearance, the things we identify as real, can be manipulated in that world. The Matrix is where anything is possible."
Well, it’s going to be interesting to see how exactly this new version of Morpheus came about and how he will fit into the story. I’m excited for this movie, and I hope that director Lana Wachowski delivers something totally awesome and mind-bending. I would love for the film to blow my mind like that first movie did, but that’s gonna be hard to do.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
The Matrix Resurrections is a continuation of the story established in the first MATRIX film. It reunites Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as cinematic icons Neo and Trinity in an expansion of their story that ventures back into the Matrix and even deeper down the rabbit hole. A mind-bending new adventure with action and epic scale, it’s set in a familiar yet even more provocative world where reality is more subjective than ever and all that’s required to see the truth is to free your mind.
The film stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Christina Ricci, Telma Hopkins, Eréndira Ibarra, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
The Matrix: Resurrections opens in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.