Laurence Fishburne Reacts to Matrix 4 After Not Being 'Invited' Back: 'Wasn't as Good as I Hoped'

John Salangsang/Shutterstock, Murray Close/Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Laurence Fishburne (L); Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Laurence Fishburne is revealing his verdict on the latest film in the Matrix franchise after not being "invited" back for the fourth installment.

In an interview with Variety on Tuesday at the premiere of Netflix's The School for Good and Evil, Fishburne, 61, said "not really" when asked if he felt like he missed out on the newest film in the saga: The Matrix Resurrections.

"But I thought Carrie-Anne and Keanu really did their thing," the actor praised of returning stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, when asked if he'd seen the new film.

Fishburne also said that the movie — released in December of last year — "wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"And it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be," he admitted.

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Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

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Fishburne, who played Morpheus in the original trilogy opposite Reeves, 58, and Moss, 55, previously spoke to New York Magazine and said he had "not been invited" to reprise his role.

"I have not been invited," he told the publication in August 2020. "Maybe that will make me write another play. I wish them well. I hope it's great."

Fishburne acknowledged the role of Morpheus is his most well-known performance, saying, "It is probably the role that I'll be best remembered for, which is great; it's not the only thing I'll be remembered for, which is better."

"What I get with him is I've got Darth Vader in this hand, and I've got Obi-Wan in that hand," he continued. "I've got Bruce Lee, I've got Muhammad Ali shuffled in there, and I've got kung fu."

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Although he didn't share the screen with Fishburne in the most recent Matrix film, Reeves and girlfriend Alexandra Grant showed support for him this summer, as they took in a performance of American Buffalo, which costarred Fishburne, this past July on Broadway.

Fishburne has also appeared alongside Reeves int he last two John Wick films, and will reprise his role as the Bowery King again in 2023's John Wick: Chapter 4.

The Matrix Resurrections saw Reeves and Moss reprise their characters of Neo and Trinity, respectively, in a film that is "more fun than I remember the sequels ever being," PEOPLE's Senior Movies News Editor Nigel Smith said on Twitter.

"Yes it's bogged down in exposition like the previous two, but there's a knowing wink to it all now," Smith added. "Newcomers Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff are key to that. Oh and the climax ROCKS."