Things continue to heat up for The Matrix 4 as Jada Pinkett Smith is in negotiations to reprise her role as Niobe in the upcoming sequel. Story details are still scarce, or virtually non-existent at this point. However, Warner Bros. is making a point to connect this firmly with the original trilogy as several major cast members have already been confirmed to return, including Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity.

According to a new report, Jada Pinkett Smith is in talks to come back for The Matrix 4, but no deal has been arrived at just yet. Smith previously starred as Niobe, captain of the Logos, in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Should the deal make, Smith will be the first character to appear in the sequels, yet not in the original, to join the cast of this new movie. That's at least somewhat notable, given that the majority of fans and critics do not hold the sequels in the same high esteem as the original sci-fi classic.

Jada Pinkett Smith is poised to join a cast that also includes newcomers Neal Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman). There are no details on who Harris might play, but Abdul-Mateen is rumored to be playing a young Morpheus. Though, that hasn't been confirmed. To that point, we haven't yet heard if Laurence Fishbourne will be reprising his role yet. As for Smith, assuming the deal makes, this will continue a solid hot streak for the actress. This year she starred in Angel Has Fallen, which went on to become a solid hit, and some of her recent credits include Gotham, Girls Trip, Magic Mike XXL and the Madagascar movie series.

We had been hearing rumors regarding a Matrix sequel for some time and in August, Warner Bros. finally went ahead and made it official. Lana Wachowski, who co-directed the original trilogy alongside her sister Lily Wachowski, is returning. Lily Wachowski, for currently unknown reasons, isn't coming back to direct. Lana Wachowski co-wrote the screenplay with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. Unfortunately, for the time being, virtually nothing has been revealed about it. All we know for sure is that Keanu Reeves has read it and referred to it as very ambitious.

Production is expected to begin in February, so we should be hearing more about casting, and possibly some plot details, as filming nears. It's also important to note the screenwriter Zak Penn is also working on another, separate entry in the franchise right now as well, which seems to indicate Warner Bros.' desire to dust this one off in a big way, assuming the sequel goes well. The Matrix 4 does not yet have a release date set but we'll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us via Deadline.