Jared Leto’s the Living Vampire in the Final ‘Morbius’ Trailer
Sony’s latest Spider-Man-adjacent Marvel movie is hoping to replicate 'Venom’s success.
Jared Leto in Columbia Pictures' 'Morbius.'
Even accounting for pandemic delays and other schedule quirks, it’s really beginning to feel like Jared Leto is in a big prosthetics phase. Between ‘House of Gucci’, upcoming TV series ‘WeCrashed’ and ‘Morbius’, he’s up for changing his appearance in big way. And talking of the living vampire, the final trailer for the Sony/Marvel film is now online.
Leto here is Dr. Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, the troubled medic attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
And to put it more specifically, his research into far flung blood possibilities and natural cures brings him into contact with vampirism, leading to a shocking transformation. Soon, he’s gifted with enhanced speed and strength (plus a variety of other abilities, including a version of sonar and flight, after a fashion) but cursed with a driving desire to hunt down and consume blood.
Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane and first arriving in the pages of "The Amazing Spider-Man" in 1971, Morbius was considered as a potential character when Artisan bought the rights to several Marvel titles as possible movies, but nothing came of it.
With Sony taking on the character, it has been in development for a while, but finally came to fruition under director Daniel Espinosa (‘Life’), alongside writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.
Though Sony has largely kept its non-MCU Marvel movies away from direct connections with the Disney side of things, we’re increasingly seeing connections – Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes, AKA Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Vulture, who here appears to be encouraging Morbius to become who he’s supposed to be. Which, we can only assume, means a villain.
Likewise, Matt Smith’s Loxias Crown (another character drawn from the pages of Marvel’s comics output), a vampire-linked baddie who wants Morbius to join his crusade against us more normal, living folk.
Also in the cast is Jared Harris, playing Emil Nikols, another character from the Morbius comics, who appears to be on exposition duty here.
(L to R) Jared Leto and Adria Arjona in Columbia Pictures' 'Morbius.'
Adria Arjona is Martin Bancroft, also linked to Morbius, while Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal are more on the comic relief front at times, as the law enforcement types tracking Morbius’ activity.
And there are clear links to ‘Venom’, Sony looking to build out its own corner of Marvel adaptations. The biggest question here is whether ‘Morbius’ will pull off the same trick – bringing the character to screens while overcoming potentially negative critical reactions to find an audience willing to embrace a wilder side of Marvel.
The various pandemic-related release shifts haven’t helped assuage those concerns, and questions arose as to why Sony didn’t move the movie back closer to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ to coast off the success of that release.
Still, with claws crossed, the movie will be vamping its way into theaters from April 1.
