Well, it’s official, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is playing Morpheus inThe Matrix Resurrections. Following months of speculation and circulating rumors, the actor has now taken to social media to share an incredibly badass image of himself from the upcoming fourth Matrix movie alongside the straightforward, no-nonsense, mystery-solving caption, “MORPHEUS.”
So, unlessYahya Abdul-Mateen IIis playing a cruel trick on us all, this is confirmation that he will indeed portray the role of Morpheus, a character played so wonderfully well in the originalMatrixtrilogy by Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne himself has previously revealed that he was not asked to return for the sequel, with the character clearly now appearing as a younger version of himself for reasons which will no doubt be explained in the movie itself.
Rumors, some of which have been hinted at in the recent trailer, have claimed thatThe Matrix Resurrectionswill feature a “younger version of Morpheus” and more specifically “a digital version of that character.” Whatever the outcome, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II certainly looks the part, with the image shared by theCandymanstar demonstrating his affinity for using two guns at once to mow down bad guys while wearing stylish sunglasses inside.
Abdul-Mateen recently offered some insight into the unexpected fourthMatrixinstallment, comparing it to another of his recentlegacy sequels,Candyman. “It’s not very different. They both are classics that people love. They come with high expectations of excellence, and audiences cannot, cannot wait to see them. And it’s nice to be a part of that,” he explained, before revealing that, whileThe Matrix 4will contain many familiar elements, they will all presented with a different spin. “Of course, they also come with the opportunity to, to add your own spin to moments and characters. And we’re looking forward to doing that with the Matrix in the same way that we did it with Candyman. It’s all an opportunity to tell new fresh stories and to change the narrative and to add a new perspective on it.”
As seen inThe Matrix Resurrections trailer, this reboot sequel is a continuation of the story established in the first Matrix movie from back in 1999. It reunites Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as cinematic icons Neo and Trinity in an expansion of their story that ventures back into the Matrix and even deeper down the rabbit hole. A mind-bending new adventure with action and epic scale, it’s set in a familiar yet even more provocative world where reality is more subjective than ever and all that’s required to see the truth is to free your mind.
The Matrix Resurrectionshas amassed a stellar cast alongside Abdul-Mateen, Reeves and Moss, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, Brian J. Smith, Ellen Hollman, and Christina Ricci, who was recently announced to be joining the highly anticipated project. Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson also return, and will reprise their respective roles from previous trilogy.
The Matrix Resurrectionsis scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically on July 15, 2025. The movie will also stream digitally on HBO Max in the United States for a month beginning on that same date. This comes to us courtesy ofYahya Abdul-Mateen II’sofficial Instagram account.
