BB15 , I consider Keanu to a good + actor . Recently , he seems to be wandering about and taking anything . It seems to be an age thing . I saw him in 47 Ronin (he loves to do the Martial Arts thing - maybe he's a budding David Carradine?) His acting in the Ronin movie was good , but the unfortunate thing was that the Producers decided to Americanize a true Japanese legend . They also incorporated Japanese Mythicism into what was a true story . Basically , a Japanese Director could still do that tragic tale with some reverence . Anyway , Keanu can still act and add presence to a movie . But is he needed for a Matrix Sequel , possibly not . Your synopsis showed many entry points into the sequelisation of the Matrix . All that is needed is an interpreter who could re-imagine that sequel , possibly someone like Michael Arndt , who would be perfect; someone who cares and has a great imagination !
You make good points. Maybe the studio and a top notch director/writer can make a matrix sequel work without Keanu.