One of the biggest hits in sci-fi and in cinema as a whole is The Matrix. And now that it’s become a full franchise, it’s almost impossible to picture it without Keanu Reeves, right? But the truth is that Reeves only joined the project after the Wachowskis and Warner Bros. went through a long list of very different names. He wasn’t exactly Hollywood’s most obvious pick at the time, but he ended up being the piece that made everything click: he had the quiet charisma, the physicality for the action scenes, and, most importantly, the ability to sell Neo as an ordinary guy about to face something massive. So once he was finally confirmed, the film’s identity was basically locked into place.
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And because the role became so iconic (also helping define the franchise’s legacy starting back in 1999), the curiosity about who almost replaced Reeves is pretty much unavoidable. The list of actors is a perfect snapshot of what The Matrix originally looked like in Hollywood’s imagination before it became the cultural juggernaut we know today. So here are 7 actors who were considered or even invited to take on the role of Neo before Reeves stepped in.
7) Will Smith
Among all the names considered to play Neo in The Matrix, Will Smith is the one everyone remembers — and honestly, it’s easy to see why the studio wanted him so badly. By the late ’90s, he was a guaranteed box-office draw, and movies like Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, and Enemy of the State proved it. Putting a star that big at the center of a potential franchise made the project feel a lot safer. The problem is that, according to Smith himself, he didn’t really understand what the movie was going for when he first read the script. Even hearing the now-iconic bullet-time scene described to him didn’t help. So he ended up turning down the role and choosing Wild Wild West instead.
But let’s be honest: it’s hard to imagine him selling that lost, disconnected-from-reality vibe, even though he’s already played more subdued characters. With Smith in the lead, the franchise almost certainly would’ve had a completely different tone. “The One” might have become a more instantly charismatic and energetic hero, shifting the film away from the philosophical, introspective weight Reeves brought to the role. With Smith, the protagonist would’ve leaned more “cool” than contemplative. Not necessarily worse, just a different movie altogether, less strange and less unsettling in the best possible way.
6) Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer’s name always feels a little random in this story, but at the same time, it kind of makes sense, because the studio was clearly trying to figure out what tone they wanted for the film before locking anything in. As Neo, Kilmer would’ve created a more closed-off, rigid protagonist, with that slightly guarded, unreadable expression he often brings to his characters, which would completely weaken Neo’s discovery arc. The lead in The Matrix needs to look lost at the beginning, and Kilmer honestly never looks lost in anything.
However, there’s an extra layer here: no one really knows how the offer played out, since Kilmer was reportedly considered for Morpheus as well, depending on whether Smith accepted the role of Neo. Some sources suggest he declined both options anyway due to interest in another project at the time. But one thing feels certain: a Kilmer-led version of the story would likely make his dynamic with Morpheus colder and far less inspiring, simply because he doesn’t carry the kind of vulnerability that makes that mentor-student relationship work. It would’ve been a more serious, stiff, and probably less engaging version of the character.
5) Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is another actor who sits miles away from the approach Reeves brought to The Matrix, and he probably would’ve delivered the most unpredictable version of Neo on this entire list. Cage simply doesn’t do “neutral.” He always brings some kind of emotional intensity that leaks out of the edges of the film, even when it’s not in the script. In other words, the “normal Thomas Anderson” wouldn’t exist. With him in charge, Neo would likely have been more dramatic and emotionally volatile, with heavier existential breakdowns, since Cage gravitates toward unconventional characters. He would’ve played Neo as someone already on the edge before Morpheus even enters the picture.
But that’s exactly why the idea fascinates so many people. The Matrix told from Cage’s perspective would feel even more disorienting. The entire tone of the movie would shift just from the force of his performance. The issue is that this would completely distort the character’s arc: Neo wouldn’t grow into chaos; he’d start in chaos. The journey would become less about transformation and more about combustion. Would that be good? Maybe interesting. Better? Probably not. The actor turned down the role for personal reasons, not wanting to spend long stretches shooting in Australia away from his family.
4) Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt, being one of the actors considered for Neo, isn’t hard to believe at all. After all, he skyrocketed through the ’90s with movies like Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, Fight Club, and 12 Monkeys. Still, he reportedly turned the role down because he didn’t feel it was his, and honestly, that might be the most accurate self-assessment on this entire list. Pitt has always had that unmistakable movie-star presence that works best when the character is already someone memorable right from the start. The Matrix demands the opposite: a protagonist who feels invisible until the world flips upside down. Casting Pitt would’ve cut the impact of the film’s first act in half.
On top of that, he has a kind of charisma that naturally pushes the story toward something more sarcastic, and it’s not exactly the vibe The Matrix needs, which relies heavily on a more observant, introspective energy. His version of Neo would’ve been “cooler” and more “movie-star polished,” automatically making the film feel more conventional. Plus, according to Pitt himself, the role was only offered once, so he partly felt it simply wasn’t meant for him in the first place. With him in the lead, The Matrix might’ve been just another big movie, and not the definitive sci-fi classic it became.
3) Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio was another huge name in the ’90s and came pretty close to starring in The Matrix, but he backed out because the project felt too visually heavy right after Titanic (plus a general burnout from doing massive movies). And looking back, he absolutely made the right call. If there’s something DiCaprio excels at, it’s expressing insecurity and internal conflict — but can you imagine Neo like that? The actor was, and still is, an emotionally intense performer, and in this case, that intensity would’ve flipped the character on its head. With him, the story would likely lean more into heavy drama, similar to what might’ve happened with Cage, and lose that calculated coldness that gives the film its identity.
Also, there’s another key point: DiCaprio simply doesn’t read as an ordinary guy, and that hurts the beginning of Neo’s arc. It’s hard to buy someone with that kind of natural presence blending into a gray office cubicle. The protagonist of The Matrix needs to build his own myth step by step, and with DiCaprio, he’d basically show up with the myth already baked in. The film requires the transformation itself to take center stage, not just the external action. And with someone like him, that entire dramatic curve would change — and not necessarily for the better.
2) Sandra Bullock
Almost no one knows this, but Neo could’ve had a female version on screen, and imagine how drastically that single decision would’ve changed everything. Sandra Bullock is, without exaggeration, the one choice that truly would have turned The Matrix into a completely different product. The studio even considered rewriting the script to make the character a woman because, according to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, there was a real sense of desperation to secure a lead actor. In the end, talks with Bullock went nowhere, apparently because she just wasn’t interested at the time. But it’s fascinating to learn this and realize how much that shift would’ve changed the chemistry between her character, Morpheus, and Trinity.
Bullock has this mix of warmth, humanity, and accessibility that would’ve given the role a completely different energy compared to Reeves’ more reserved presence. And of course, with her, the audience’s reading of the story would shift too: “The One” wouldn’t come across as a cold, reluctant anti-hero, but maybe as someone more open and empathetic. At the same time, Bullock would’ve delivered a female-led blockbuster at a moment when that almost never happened — and that alone would’ve reshaped the cultural conversation around the film. This is the one option that would’ve changed everything the most.
1) Johnny Depp
Can you believe that Johnny Depp was actually the Wachowskis’ top choice for Neo? It makes sense when you remember who he was back then. Just like Pitt and DiCaprio, Depp was a major name in the ’90s with films like Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Donnie Brasco, and Ed Wood. But one thing that really stands out about his filmography is that he was basically becoming the king of strange, introspective characters who feel a little out of place in the world. Hollywood had no idea what The Matrix would actually be, but Depp seemed like the most logical pick for a protagonist living between two worlds. He would’ve brought a more organic, almost natural sense of disconnection.
There’s no official confirmation about why the actor didn’t end up as Neo. Apparently, the role was offered to him, but reportedly, the studio didn’t want him for the character, which obviously played a big part. Had he taken the role, he probably would’ve been less of a classic hero and more of an introspective anti-hero, with an aura of mystery and surrealism. Depp could’ve leaned into the philosophical and psychic side of Neo’s journey, maybe even amplifying the weirdness of the Matrix with a more angular, vulnerable, and artistically inclined character. In some ways, he even shares similarities with Reeves, but there’s no telling if it would’ve worked and made the film the cultural phenomenon it became.
What did you think of these alternate choices for Neo? Would you have liked to see any of them in the role? Let us know in the comments!
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Courtesy of Crunchyroll
