Get ready to mark your calendars because Will Smith and Big Sean are about to drop a musical bombshell! Their new single, “Beautiful Scars,” is hitting the airwaves on January 30th—just as Smith gears up for his highly anticipated new studio album. But wait, there’s more! To spice up the promo, the dynamic duo has recreated that iconic moment from The Matrix—you know, the one where Morpheus offers Neo a life-altering choice. Only this time, instead of saving humanity, they’re poking fun at Smith’s infamous decision to pass on the role of Neo himself! Now, wouldn’t it be wild to imagine what the world of cinema might’ve looked like had Smith taken the blue pill instead of diving into the whimsical world of Wild Wild West? Social media users are already buzzing with nostalgia and humor over this playful homage, making us all wonder—what if? So grab your popcorn and pipe down the nostalgia, folks, because this collaboration is shaping up to be one funny and thought-provoking ride!
Will Smith and Big Sean are teaming up for a new single, “Beautiful Scars,” which is set to release on January 30th as Smith continues to prepare for the release of a new studio album. To promote the single, the two starred in a recreation of an iconic scene from The Matrix. In the clip, Sean takes on the role of Morpheus to offer Smith the choice of two pills. One pill allows Smith’s life to remain the same while the other would have him “go back and star in that one movie that got away.”
Fans on social media have been loving the creativity on display with The Matrix video. “This is why I love Will…he is so unserious but serious @ the same time. This was actually funny,” one top comment reads on YouTube. Another brought up Keanu Reeves landing the role of Neo in the original film trilogy. They wrote: “In all seriousness, Keanu was born to be Neo. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go and watch a Matrix movie starring Will Smith, cause I sure as hell would!”
Smith previously reflected on his decision to pass on the starring role of Neo in a post on Instagram, earlier this month. In doing so, he shared a clip of text written in the third-person. “In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in ‘The Matrix.’ Smith turned it down,” the cryptic statement read. “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?”
As for his new album, he’s been hard at work on the yet-untitled project for quite some time. During an interview back in July 2024, he revealed: “Over the past year and a half, I’ve been in the studio. I have a project that is the most personal and powerful music project I’ve ever done. The idea of the music is, ‘Dance in your darkest moments.’” He’s already shared several singles over the last year including “You Can Make It,” “Work of Art,” and “Tantrum.”