Movies

‘The Matrix: Resurrections’: Hugo Weaving Was Excited to Play Agent Smith Again, but Scheduling Conflicts Tragically Kept Him out of ‘Matrix 4’

'The Matrix: Resurrections' will be down the infamous Agent Smith — here's why Hugo Weaving won't be starring as the villain in the film.

by Produced by Digital Editors

Published on October 30, 2021

4 min read

Fans love Keanu Reeves wherever his talents are portrayed. Given how much his star rose thanks to the movie, The Matrix, it doesn’t come as a surprise seeing his fan-love spike with the announcement of the fourth iteration.

While fans have been buzzing, having seen The Matrix: Resurrections trailer and spotting some familiar faces, the slew of new additions has left many fans pondering about the futures of some household names.

Hugo Weaving in front of a green background — Hugo Weaving | Graham Denholm/Getty Images

The movie will miss some key components from the trilogy, namely, Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, writer-director Lilly Wachowski‘s input, and Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith. So, what happens to Agent Smith in The Matrix 4?

Hugo Weaving won’t appear in The Matrix: Resurrections

Every fan expects the movie will be a revelation thanks to the magic of modern-day cinematography and special effects. The star-studded cast is expected to bring in new fans into the Matrix verse, but veteran fans know the film will have a difficult time filling in Hugo Weaving’s Agent-Smith-shaped boots.

However, fans should feel a little better knowing both the director, Lana Wachowski, and the actor himself wanted to be a part of the project. Speaking to the Collider, Weaving talked about his near-return into The Matrix and how scheduling issues prevented him from reprising the role. He had this to say:

“Lana was very keen for me to be a part of [The Matrix 4]. I really wanted to because I’m very, very fond of all of them. I had some initial reticence about the idea of going back to revisit The Matrix, after having already done three films, but then I read the script and got an offer to my agent. I immediately responded yes to that, and then we went into negotiation. I was doing a play, at the time, but we were working out dates and things so that I could do both. And then, Lana decided that she didn’t wanna change her dates, so I couldn’t do it. In a nutshell, that’s what happened.”

How will ‘The Matrix 4’ replace Agent Smith

While we wouldn’t have the Agents as pop culture icons without The Matrix, it can also be argued that there can exist no Matrix movies without its suit-wearing villains. Therefore, the million-dollar question is, if Hugo Weaving won’t be taking up the mantle of Agent Smith, who’ll be our next primary antagonist?

Screenrant divines the answer could very well be Agent Johnson (played by Daniel Bernhardt) – the top dog among the new and improved Agents in The Matrix: Reloaded. Agents have been spotted in The Matrix 4 trailer, so it’s not improbable for Agent Johnson to climb up a few ranks and become the new big bad.

Another Matrix villain (more ex-villain) expected back in Resurrections is The Merovingian. Lambert Wilson played the role of this ancient Matrix program to a T in Reloaded and Revolutions. He redeemed himself in the third iteration by working with Trinity to save Neo.

Given all the character resurrections in the movie, it shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing The Merovingian’s sinister side rearing its head. Collider, referencing August’s CinemaCon, confirms the theatrical release of The Matrix: Resurrections to be on the 22nd of December, 2021.

The dastardly Agent Smith

A good movie is determined by its hero, and the hero is nothing without the villain. Opinions will always be divided about any franchise, The Matrix included. Still, if there’s one thing both fans and critics agree on is how good Aussie actor, Hugo Weaving, portrayed the malicious persona of Agent Smith.

You’re not to blame if you’ve forgotten the deal about our favorite deadly A.I.; it’s been a while. Here’s a quick refresher. The first Matrix movie introduces us to Agent Smith as an artificial intelligence engineered by the Machines. His role was to police the human world within the Matrix together with other Agents.

As a non-corporeal entity, he could possess any host body in the simulation, taking on a human form. The ‘physical’ Agents don rectangular sunglasses, identical dark green suits, white shirts, and green neckties. They also had earpieces for communication purposes.

He manipulates Cypher (played by Joe Pantoliano) into coming into the Matrix betraying the rest of the human revolutionaries. Smith kidnaps Morpheus, but in true hero fashion, the dynamic duo of Neo and Trinity rescues him.

Agent Smith tangos with Neo ending with the latter’s death through gunfire. However, Neo accesses his potential as The One and emerges into Agent Smith, destroying him from the inside in spectacular fashion. The Matrix: Reloaded taught us all that you can’t put a good villain down.

It’s revealed Neo’s actions freed Agent Smith from under the Machine’s control. In classic villain fashion, he marked his big change with a new look; enters the all-black suit and different sunglasses – chic! He becomes a virus that can access any host body within the Matrix, human or A.I.

In The Matrix: Revolutions, Agent Smith takes the evil rogue A.I. trope to the next level. He threatens the existence of both humankind and the Machines and seeks to destroy everything. Neo joins forces with the Machines with the condition that if he beats the supreme Agent Smith, they’ll cease engaging in hostile relations with Zion.

Neo does this by letting the Agent kill him. With Neo’s demise, the logic behind the Matrix deletes him and all his copies as his purpose is essentially fulfilled.