Will Smith not starring in new Matrix movie despite cryptic post

Will Smith will not be starring in the next Matrix movie despite seemingly teasing his involvement in a cryptic post.

The Men in Black actor sent his Instagram followers wild on Monday when he posted a video teasing his connection to The Matrix franchise.

In the video, a message written in a red Matrix-style font was typed out on a computer.

"In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down," the message reads. "He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?"

After a beat, new messages appear: "Wake up, Will... The Matrix has you..."

The uncaptioned post sparked speculation that Smith would play Neo in the fifth Matrix movie. However, sources confirmed to both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that the Independence Day star was not involved in the project.

Last year, Warner Bros. officials announced a fifth Matrix was in the works with Bad Times at the El Royale filmmaker Drew Goddard attached to write and direct. It will be the first Matrix film not directed by a Wachowski sibling, but Lana Wachowski will serve as an executive producer.

In the late '90s, the role of Neo ultimately went to Keanu Reeves, who starred alongside Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne in Lana and Lilly Wachowski's 1999 sci-fi epic The Matrix.

Reeves reprised the role for three sequels; 2003's The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, and 2021's The Matrix Resurrections.

Meanwhile, Smith's Wild Wild West was a critical and commercial flop when it was released in 1999.

The actor has yet to reveal the true intention behind the cryptic post. Fans have speculated that he is teasing new music or a Super Bowl advert.