'The Matrix 4': 'Sense8' Actor Toby Onwumere Joins The Sequel

The Matrix 4 cast continues to grow.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's casting of Frozen and Mindhunter actor Jonathan Groff, a new report today says actor Toby Onwumere (pictured, left) has also joined the highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel. Onwumere was a part of the ensemble cast of the Wachowskis' ambitious Netflix series Sense8, so this will mark a reunion between him and Lana Wachowski, who's directing this project without her sister Lilly.

Deadline reports that Onwumere is the latest performer to join The Matrix 4 cast, although as you've probably guessed, his role is being kept under wraps. This cast now consists of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (who's rumored to be playing a young version of Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus), and Onwumere. In addition to working on Sense8 as Capheus / Capheus Onyango, Onwumere appeared on Season 5 of Fox's Empire as Kai, the love interest of Jussie Smollett's Jamal Lyon. He has a very short resumé thus far, but this is the type of movie that will obviously have a lot of eyes on it, so it represents a huge opportunity for an up-and-coming actor to make a lasting impression. (Think about how someone like Tom Hardy was able to use his role in Inception as a stepping stone to becoming a household name.)

As for the film itself, Lana Wachowski is directing and co-writing with Aleksander Hemon, a Sense8 actor who, as Onwumere's co-star, should be familiar with his skills; and David Mitchell, the author of Cloud Atlas, which the Wachowski sisters and Tom Tykwer adapted into a sweeping, visionary movie a few years ago.

Side note: I hope Cloud Atlas ends up on some "best of the decade" lists because it totally owns, and its nearly six-minute trailer is among the best trailers ever created.