The Wachowskis Lied To One Of The Matrix's Stars About Their Character's Death
Part of why Cypher's death disappointed Pantoliano was that he had successfully convinced a previous director to save one of his characters' life. Pantoliano played U.S. Marshal Cosmo Renfro in "The Fugitive," a character who was supposed to die but ended up returning for the sequel. Pantoliano recalled telling the film's star, Harrison Ford, that he wanted Cosmo to survive in case there was a sequel. Ford asserted that there wouldn't be a sequel because he didn't plan on returning for one, and Pantoliano replied, "Well, f— you. We'll just chase some other $20 million a**hole through the woods." Sure enough, that's exactly what he did in the "U.S. Marshals" six years later. Alas, Pantoliano did not get to return for "The Matrix Reloaded," a movie that had a much larger budget and offered a higher paycheck to most of the actors involved. To rub salt in the wound, the sequels kept Cypher in the grave while bringing Agent Smith (who exploded into a million pieces) back to life. "Don't get me started, all right? They brought f***ing Agent Smith back," Pantoliano said. The actor added that it would be "never too late" for the franchise to give Cypher a similar treatment. It might seem like a pipedream, but at least the events of "The Matrix Resurrections" provided a pathway for such a plot point. It's technically possible for any "Matrix" character to be resurrected to some extent, as long as the machines have access to their DNA and sufficient motivation to bring them back. Sure, resurrecting Cypher would inevitably be sloppy writing, but that has never stopped the franchise before.
