Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIknows the risks that come with reinterpreting beloved cinematic characters.
But so far, those risks have served him well.
“If anything, I step into it because I appreciate the history.”
They know kung fu! Keanu Reeves' Neo and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Morpheus train in ‘The Matrix Resurrections.'.Warner Bros. Pictures
At the end of 2019, he auditioned forThe Matrix Resurrections, the fourth installment of theMatrixfilms.
The character he was up for was Morpheus.
Abdul-Mateen couldn’t wrap his head around how it was going to work.
Jessica Henwick, Keanu Reeves, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘The Matrix Resurrections.'.Murray Close/Warner Bros.
How washegoing to replaceLaurence Fishburneas the prognosticating paragon of bullet-dodging in the Wachowskis’ sci-fi trilogy?
The slick inner tour guide with the deep tenor voice who leadsKeanu Reevesdown the rabbit hole?
The man who frees Neo from the simulated reality of the Matrix?
“Laurence already did what had to be done,” he says.
Neo had defeatedHugo Weaving’s Agent Smith before sacrificing his body to the bots.
Beyond that, Abdul-Mateen is pretty tight-lipped about the latestMatrixinstallment and his character’s importance to its plot.
His one concession: “This is definitely a different iteration of the character.”
“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.”
Having two actors playing the same character isn’t unprecedented in theMatrixCinematic Universe.
But Mary Alice took over for her inRevolutionsafter Foster passed away from diabetes in between films.
Is this the case for the new Morpheus?
Abdul-Mateen isn’t telling.
“Age, appearance, the things we identify as real, can be manipulated in that world.
The Matrix is where anything is possible.”
Despite the high concepts and skiffy jargon, Abdul-Mateen considersResurrectionsto be the most grounded of all his sci-fi roles.
Abdul-Mateen suggests “we may have become that future.”
Everybody’s so plugged in these days.
I think for a lot of reasons, it’ll be a mind trip."
The Matrix Resurrectionsopens in theaters and streams on HBO Max this Dec. 22.
To read more from our Fall Movie Preview,order the November issueofEntertainment Weeklyor find it on newsstands now.
