Nearly 20 years ago, Will Smith was approached to star in The Matrix as Neo, a role that ultimately went to Keanu Reeves. The Wachowski siblings’ film went on to become one of the most iconic movies of the ’90s, and it solidified Reeves as an action star. As for Smith, he went on to headline Wild Wild West, which was perhaps not the best use of his talents. But what if things had been different? What if Will Smith had taken the blue pill and followed The Matrix down its rabbit hole?

The Unusual Suspect has released a new video that splices Smith into The Matrix in scenes that were previously occupied by Reeves. The result is an unusually convincing mash up that features footage from several of Smith’s films, including Men in Black, Focus, I Robot, and Enemy of the State. But it’s not all just clever editing.

On Reddit, the Unusual Suspect noted that it took him three days to finish this mash up and revealed that he also played with Smith’s dialogue to achieve the intended effect. He added that “there’s about 10 instances here though where I put Will Smith INTO the shot. So there I looked for clips of Will Smith making a similar pose to Reeves. Then I rotobrushed in After Effects and color corrected. Then I removed Reeves in Photoshop, motion tracked accordingly, and voila.”

The Matrix would have been a very different film with Smith in the lead, but probably no less successful. As perfect as Reeves was for the role, Will Smith doing it would have been interesting to see. For now, this video is simply a tantalizing glimpse at what might have been.

What did you think about the Will Smith in The Matrix mash up? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Warner Bros./The Unusual Suspect