Director Daniel Espinosa explained how Jared Leto’s Morbius is similar to some notable X-Men characters.
Jared Leto’s Morbius will be the latest to join Sony’s Marvel Universe with a solo film of his own. Morbius is traditionally painted as a Spider-Man villain, but the upcoming film will explore the anti-hero side of the character similar to what the studio did with Venom. In Sony’s official production release for Morbius, director Daniel Espinosa talked about what makes The Living Vampire so interesting and compared him to some X-Men characters:
“Most great heroes are antiheroes. Most of us are resistant to accept that we are the chosen one, and Morbius is the same. The most interesting characters in the Marvel universe have always been those that have had one foot on each side: Magneto, Rogue, Wolverine, in his own way, Venom. All of these characters are the ones that are fundamentally the most fascinating for us as moviegoers and comic book readers.”
Daniel Espinosa goes on to call Jared Leto’s Morbius “one of the most altruistic characters of the Marvel Universe” when discussing his tragic origin:
“Michael Morbius is one of the most altruistic characters of the Marvel Universe. He’s one of the few that really believes in good. This good man has a horrible disease, and in his trials to save himself and the people that he cares for, he turns into a monster.”
The director further explains what makes Michael Morbius a good person, despite turning himself into a monster:
“When Morbius discovers his inner beast, he becomes afraid of it – and because he’s afraid, he’s also afraid of his powers. He’s afraid that they will take over and change him, so he’s constantly resisting them. To become the hero, he has to accept his fate: Morbius’s journey is to accept that he will still remain the person that he is, but he has to harness these powers. At the end of the day, he’s a very good person. He’s using his talent, his skills, his education, his brains, in search of noble pursuits. He’s not without his faults – he’s breaking some rules, but he’s doing it to find the cure and help people like himself.”
Here is the synopsis for Jared Leto’s Morbius:
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, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.
Directed Daniel Espinosa from a script written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, the film stars Jared Leto as the lead anti-hero, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing the project with Lucas Foster, while Palak Patel will oversee for Sony.
Morbius is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on April 1, 2022. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the Jared Leto film, the future of the X-Men franchise, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content!
Source: Sony (via The Direct)
