Will Smith's cryptic post about rejecting the role of Neo in The Matrix sparked fan speculation about his involvement in the upcoming fifth installment.

It’s a known fact that before Keanu Reeves immortalised Neo on the big screen with the groundbreaking and genre-defining The Matrix in 1999, it was Will Smith who was first offered the role but he rejected it for Wild Wild West (1999).

After previously turning down the role of Neo for the original film, Will Smith is seemingly teasing his casting in the upcoming Matrix reboot.

A new Matrix movie starring Will Smith is hinted at in a cryptic video posted by the actor who turned down the role of Neo in the 1990s.

"In 1997," the post reads, "the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: what would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?"

Speculation started on Monday after Smith posted a cryptic message on Instagram, recalling his decision to pass on the starring role of Neo (which eventually went to Keanu Reeves) in Lana or Lily Wachowski's seminal 1999 sci-fi epic "The Matrix."

Drew Goddard (The Martian) is attached to write and direct the Matrix franchise's fifth movie installment, and sources confirmed to Variety that Smith is not involved with the pro

Will Smith will not be starring in the next Matrix movie despite seemingly teasing his involvement in a cryptic post. "In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. But the question remains: What would The Matrix have been like with Will Smith as Neo?

Is Will Smith about to re-take a famous missed opportunity? As the legend goes, Will Smith was almost cast as Neo in The Matrix back in 1997. He turned it down to make Wild Wild West and Keanu Reeves ended up in the lead role,