Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has had a great 2019. He began the year turning heads as Black Manta in Aquaman, giving the previously somewhat two-dimensional character some real danger and gravitas, continued with a great performance in Us and was recently the centerpiece of an amazing episode of HBO’s Watchmen. But it seems he’s not going to slow down anytime soon, as he’s set to appear in Jordan Peele’s remake of Candyman, has put his name forth for the new Superman and is also firmly on board for The Matrix 4.
Yes, as you’ve surely heard, Abdul-Mateen II has been cast in the unexpected follow-up to the iconic hit movies “in a lead role.” At the time, we weren’t told who he’d be playing, but we now have confirmation from our sources – the same ones who said Ace Ventura 3 was in the works and that a Scream reboot is moving forward, both of which were later confirmed – that he’ll be portraying a younger Morpheus, which fits with earlier rumors.
And while you would assume the fact that he’s playing a younger Morpheus would mean that the movie is a prequel, complicating this a little is that we also know Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively. With plot details still scarce, it’s hard to say exactly how all the pieces will fit together here, but from what our sources have said, the entire story is a bit of a mindf*ck, as “Neo and Trinity are stuck in the Matrix and they’re older as they should be, but Morpheus who’s also there is there via a younger version of himself.”
Truth be told, it all sounds slightly confusing, but we’re sure the film itself will make sense of it and if one thing’s for certain, it’s that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will knock this role out of the park. The guy’s on a serious winning streak at the moment, excelling in damn near every part he takes. And if he’s indeed our new Morpheus in The Matrix 4, then he’ll certainly be a worthy heir to the mighty Lawrence Fishburne