The Matrix Star Still Upset Over Character's Death, Says Wachowskis 'F***ing Lied' About His Fate

The Matrix prima Joe Pantoliano has said helium was "lied" to by the Wachoskis astir his quality Cypher's fate.

Speaking astatine New York Comic Con, Pantoliano revealed that helium had specifically requested the film's publication beryllium changed truthful his quality survived the movie, successful the anticipation that Cypher could instrumentality successful the franchise's sequels.

As it is, the past audiences spot of Cypher — successful immoderate The Matrix movie — is the duplicitous quality getting electrocuted by a lightning weapon and blasted disconnected screen, aft helium betrays Neo's crew.

"I said, 'Hey, you can't termination me, right? You're not gonna termination me?'" Pantoliano recalled of a telephone speech with the movie's directorial duo, arsenic reported by Entertainment Weekly. "And Lilly said, 'Hey, Lana, helium doesn't privation america to termination him.' And I heard Lana disconnected camera, knowing that I could perceive this, and she said, 'Well, conscionable prevarication to him and we'll termination him anyway.'"

While it's ne'er definitive that Cypher is dead, the quality is ne'er seen again. Cypher is past referenced arsenic being dormant successful The Matrix Online, the franchise's now-defunct MMO planned by the Wachowskis arsenic a canon continuation of their story. Indeed, Cypher is the inspiration for the Cypherites, an in-game faction founded connected the character's beliefs and a tendency to instrumentality to The Matrix arsenic they hatred reality.

Joe Pantoliano. Image credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Reedpop.

"Don't get maine started, each right? They brought f***ing Agent Smith back," Pantoliano continued, referencing the information that Hugo Weaving's quality Agent Smith besides died successful the film, lone to instrumentality successful its sequels. "It's The Matrix!"

As for The Matrix franchise itself, Warner Bros. is reportedly keen to support the spot live with yet different sequel — contempt a mixed effect to 2021's The Matrix Resurrections. (IGN scored the movie with a 4/10, calling it "a clump of truly bully ideas stacked unneurotic to marque a atrocious — and sometimes disfigured — film.")

Last year, it was announced that prolific TV writer Drew Goddard — who penned immoderate of the champion episodes of Buffy, Alias, Lost, Daredevil, and The Good Place — would constitute and nonstop a caller The Matrix movie, marking the archetypal clip the franchise would beryllium helmed by idiosyncratic different than 1 of the Wachowskis. Maybe there's inactive a accidental for Pantoliano aft all?

Image credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for ReedPop.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social