Jessica Henwick Turned Down Shang-Chi Role for The Matrix 4

It has been more than three years since the cancellation of Netflix’s Iron Fist after two seasons, and despite its negative reception, fans are still acknowledging that Game of Thrones alum Jessica Henwick’s performance as Colleen Wing was one of the few best parts of the superhero series. Just like Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, some fans are also hoping that Henwick’s version of Colleen Wing would be able to make a return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now, in a recent interview with EW, Henwick has revealed that she was actually given an opportunity to return to the Marvel universe for an undisclosed role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, the said MCU audition coincided with her chemistry read for The Matrix Resurrections, which led to Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures both giving her an ultimatum that she could only choose one project to audition for.

“[The studios] knew about the other offers, and both of them gave me the offer on the stipulation that I could only audition for one or the other,” Henwick recalled. “And there was no guarantee that I would get either. It was a red pill, blue pill moment for me.”

RELATED: Interview: Marvel Studios’ Andy Park on Designing Shang-Chi’s Costume

Ultimately, she decided to go with The Matrix due to the project’s rarity, and that she’s already experienced working on a Marvel project through Netflix’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. It’s still unclear what MCU role she was offered to audition for and whether or not it could have been related to her previous Colleen Wing role.

“I’ve had a great working relationship with Marvel,” Henwick said. “I’ve obviously done Marvel TV, so I was already in the universe. I knew that joining The Matrix is not an opportunity that you get every day. Lana has had so many offers to make more Matrix films. I just knew it was now or never. Whereas, obviously, Marvel is a huge, wonderful company that makes films very, very regularly.”

RELATED: The Matrix Resurrections Trailer Brings Neo and Trinity Back to the System

The Matrix Resurrections is directed by Lana Wachowski from a screenplay she co-wrote with Aleksander Hemon and David Mitchell. It is scheduled to make its debut in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22.

The fourth installment features the return of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith, reprising their iconic roles as Neo, Trinity, and Niobe. Lambert Wilson and Daniel Bernhardt are also reprising their respective villainous roles of The Merovingian and Agent Johnson.

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