The Matrix 4 Casts Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is in negotiations to join the cast of The Matrix 4, Variety reports. The film is being directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed the original Matrix trilogy. Chopra would be joining a cast that includes Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie Ann Moss as Trinity returning to their roles from the original Matrix trilogy, as well as newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Neil Patrick Harris. Her role is being kept under wraps for now. Fight training for the film has already begun. Filming is expected to begin soon in Northern California. The film is being produced by Village Roadshow and Warner Bros.

One original Matrix trilogy star who will not be returning is Hugo Weaving, who played Agent Smith. In a recent interview, Weaving explained that it's not because he wouldn't like to return, but because his schedule is too full.

"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. 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."

The Matrix is a seminal piece of sci-fi cinema. The original film in the series released in 1999 and introduced audiences to a cyberpunk world where humans are kept as batteries and live in a shared fiction we call reality. The film cast Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker searching for the truth about reality who falls in with rebel leader Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and falls in love with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). The film's blending of philosophy, martial arts, and the aesthetics of the hacker and club subcultures of the era made it a touchstone film at the turn of the century. The film was followed by two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which completed the story of Neo and the human uprising. Or at least it seemed that way at the time.

Are you excited about Priyanka Chopra Jonas possibly joining the cast of The Matrix 4? Let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

The Matrix 4 is expected to open in theaters on May 21, 2021.