Yahoo Movies New 'Matrix Resurrections' Trailer Reveals Jada Pinkett Smith's Unrecognizable Return
In Jada Pinkett Smith news that won’t move you to sign a petition to stop her from talking about her sex life, the actor is sporting a bold new look in the latest trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections.”
Directed by Lana Wachowski, the fourth entry in the blockbuster franchise arrives in theaters and on HBO Max later this month, featuring familiar faces like Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss along with a brand-new cast for a presumably mind- (and spoon-)bending adventure.
We got glimpses of Reeves and Moss in the first trailer, released earlier this year. But Pinkett Smith’s involvement has been shrouded in mystery.
The new trailer for “Resurrections,” which arrived on Monday, gives us our best clue yet. The 50-year-old star reprises her character Niobe in the film, but she’s nearly unrecognizable this time around, with makeup and prosthetics making her appear much older.
“It’s so easy to forget how much noise the Matrix pumps into your head,” she tells Reeves’ Neo, who seemingly has zero recollection of the events of the past three films. “Something else makes the same kind of noise: war.”
Pinkett Smith starred in the second and third films in the series, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” as the Zion rebel fighter, who quickly became a fan-favorite character. She later appeared as one of the protagonists in the hugely popular video game tie-in “Enter the Matrix.”
The rest of Monday’s “Matrix Resurrections” trailer leans just as heavily on the deja vu.
A voiceover teases how people are trapped inside “strange repeating loops,” as flashes of scenes from the first three films are intercut with footage from the new sequel. Of particular note are newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jonathan Groff, who appear to be playing younger versions of Morpheus and Agent Smith, respectively.
Pinkett Smith recently reflected on her history with the “Matrix” franchise, which began when she and her husband, Will Smith, were approached to play Neo and Trinity, the roles that eventually went to Reeves and Moss.
“I remember getting the storyboards when they wanted Will to play Neo,” the “Red Table Talk” host told Entertainment Weekly. “I was going, ‘Man, this is really revolutionary. This is like Japanese anime [but in] live-action.’ It had never been done before.”
“I’m a huge Japanese animation fan, so from then on, they had me,” she continued. “When they called me to play Niobe, I didn’t have to read anything. I was in.”
“The Matrix Resurrections” is scheduled to hit theaters and HBO Max on Dec. 22. Watch the new trailer below.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
