WI will smith as neo in matrix (1999)

They considered Samuel L Jackson for the role of Morpheus... I'm unsure if he'd have been good or not. Would certainly change the Morpheus character though
 
Chow Yun-Fat was offered the role of morpheous but he turned it down as he didn't want to be pigeon-holed in Hollywood. He mae Anna and the King instead.
 
Chow Yun-Fat was offered the role of morpheous but he turned it down as he didn't want to be pigeon-holed in Hollywood. He mae Anna and the King instead.

He might work -- hell, it gets made, he's about perfect -- but I'm trying to look at this from the standpoint of a late 1990's studio exec, and wondering if a movie with a black* protagonist and a Chinese actor in second billing can make bank...

*remember, Smith hasn't become the full on exception to this yet...
 
My dream cast for The Matrix:

Neo: Will Smith

Trinity: Lucy Liu

Morpheus: Jeff Bridges

Agent Smith: Mike McGlone, Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, or Yaphet Koto

Agents Brown, Jones, Johnson, and Black: whoever of those didn't get to be Agent Smith

Cypher: John Leguzamo

The Oracle: Whoopi Goldberg
 
He might work -- hell, it gets made, he's about perfect -- but I'm trying to look at this from the standpoint of a late 1990's studio exec, and wondering if a movie with a black* protagonist and a Chinese actor in second billing can make bank...
Ironically after 2000 Hollywood has used the combination of black/chinese actors for most martial arts flicks. The HW career of Jet Li is testament to that.
 
Ok, here's my take on alt-cast:

Neo Will Smith
Morpheus Chow Yun Fat
Trinity Carrie Ann Moss*
Smith Nicholas Cage

Not sure who Cypher or The Oracle would be TTL...

*come on, she's perfect IOTL...
 
My dream cast for The Matrix:

Neo: Will Smith

Trinity: Lucy Liu

Morpheus: Jeff Bridges

Agent Smith: Mike McGlone, Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, or Yaphet Koto

Agents Brown, Jones, Johnson, and Black: whoever of those didn't get to be Agent Smith

Cypher: John Leguzamo

The Oracle: Whoopi Goldberg

That cast is just about perfect. seriously, I think you might have nailed it. It's a shame that didn't play out IOTL.
 
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