The Matrix Resurrections Reveals First Look at Jada Pinkett Smith’s Shocking Return

Niobe is officially returning to the Matrix, but it may take fans a moment to recognize the popular character this time around. It was reported more than two years ago that Jada Pinkett Smith would be coming back to the Matrix franchise for The Matrix Resurrections, reprising her role as Niobe from the second and third films in the series. A new teaser released on Sunday evening, which announces the arrival of another trailer on Monday, shows off the first look at Pinkett Smith’s return, and she isn’t bringing the classic Niobe look back for the next film.

The new teaser, which you can watch below, begins with some narration from Pinkett Smith, talking about how loud the Matrix is. After a couple sentences, Niobe appears on-screen to deliver the final word of the monologue, and we see that she is much different than the last time we saw her. This Niobe is much older and clearly has more experience with the devastating world around her. Take a look!

“It’s so easy to forget how much noise the Matrix pumps into your head,” Pinkett Smith ominously says in the video. “Something else makes the same kind of noise: War.”

This is the first mention of Pinkett Smith’s character in any of the Matrix Resurrections marketing so far, so it’s difficult to determine exactly what kind of role she’ll be playing in the film. Then again, you could probably say that about every single character in the movie, regardless of how much or little we’ve seen of them.

Pinkett Smith returns to the Matrix franchise alongside Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss, reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively. The all-star cast is rounded out with series newcomers like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Christina Ricci, Priyanka Chopra Jones, Ellen Hollman, and Lambert Wilson. Lana Wachowski returns to direct Resurrections, from a script she co-wrote with David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon.

While Resurrections certainly looks to be as action-packed as its predecessors, Reeves has hinted that the new film in the Matrix franchise is just as much a love story as it is anything else.

“We have a wonderful writer and director, Lana Wachowski, and she’s really written a beautiful, beautiful script that is a love story, it’s inspiring, it’s another version of a kind of call to wake up, and entertains, great action. And all will be revealed,” Reeves previously told BBC’s The One Show.

The Matrix Resurrections will arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.