Some casting decisions make perfect sense. Some, while confusing, seem to work out to a solid degree. Still, others make you wonder just how good their agents must be. Jared Leto falls into that last category. After helping to tank Suicide Squad with an abysmal performance as Joker, he’s being pulled into the Sony-led Spider-Man universe as a lead. That’s right, Jared’s back as the titular vampire Morbius:
Here’s the official synopsis from Sony:
One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.
So as we can see above, they’re going more for the anti-hero storyline than the villain, which does fit with the canon of the character. It is interesting to note that Sony is turning away from the villain angle again like it did with Venom. Also, eagle-eyed fans will have spotted the Michael Keaton cameo, hinting that Vulture will make an appearance here. We also know that this movie will take place after Spider-Man: Far From Home because one scene shows Morbius waking in front of a graffiti picture of Spider-Man with the word “murderer” painted over it.
In terms of trailers, this one doesn’t have me convinced this is going to be good. Leto’s performance is more subdued than Joker but comes off slightly stilted. The whole set-up is just more dark and gritty supernatural window dressing, which fits the character but just feels overdone now. Still director Daniel Espinosa could pull the movie together.
Morbius is set to premiere in theaters on July 31, 2020.
