Will Smith’s The Matrix Tease Was About a Song With Big Sean

Will Smith, whose career has deep ties to The Matrix, teased something involving the sci-fi franchise earlier this month, but it turns out it’s just a song from him and rapper Big Sean.

The actor posted on Instagram to announce a song called Beautiful Scars from “Mr Anderson and Mr Smith,” which releases January 30. The image for the song features both artists in The Matrix attire and their names in the classic computer font.

Smith appears to be portraying Neo, which is perhaps a reference to his turning down of the role in the 1990s before it was picked up by Keanu Reeves. Big Sean, meanwhile, is wearing the suit, jacket, and iconic glasses of Morpheus.

A tease from Smith on January 7 recreated the iconic scene from the film, showing a black screen with the words “Wake up, Will…” typed up. Fans therefore theorised his connection to The Matrix was about to come full circle with his starring in The Matrix 5, but Hollywood Reporter said this wasn’t the case.

The Matrix 5 is still shrouded in mystery, however. It was announced in April 2024 from Warner Bros. with The Martian and The Cabin in the Woods’ Drew Goddard set to write and direct. It will be the first film not to have either of The Wachowskis, Lana or Lilly, at the helm, though the former will executive produce.

While the original The Matrix is among the most beloved films of all time, its sequels were less well received and even reboot film The Matrix Resurrections was widely panned upon its release in 2021. “The Matrix Resurrections is a bunch of really good ideas stacked together to make a bad — and sometimes ugly — film,” IGN said in our 4/10 review.

Photo by DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP via Getty Images.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.