Ever since horror fans learned that Oscar winner Jared Leto would sink his teeth into the role of Marvel’s living vampire Morbius, imaginations (and hopes) have run wild.
The Morbius big-screen comic-book adaptation–from director Daniel Espinosa and screenwriters Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway–originally was set to hit theaters last summer, but was pushed back to this March 19–a victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
And now, this past week, Leto himself opened up on his much-anticipated Sony Pictures film, as reported by syfy.com. The actor even dropped a few morsels about his role as the Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League slated for HBO later this year.
Regarding Morbius, Leto seems to be intrigued by the inherent challenge of playing this atypical Marvel anti-hero. “It’s not often that you have one of these Marvel characters that hasn’t been put on the screen before,” Leto said in a recent interview. “So, it was an opportunity to create something brand-new and do something I don’t often do–which is the leading man.”
Leto said the character of Dr. Michael Morbius “finds a cure (for his disease) and goes from being this frail, sickly person–who’s at the end of his life–to being strong and powerful. But then, there’s a catch.” That catch, as all fans know, is that the good doctor is transformed into a vampire-like being with supernatural abilities, but also with an insatiable thirst for blood.
“I get to play those three different characters in this ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ story that’s just big and fun and sometimes a little scary,” he said. “I’m excited about it. It should be a big, fun, popcorn movie.”
Morbius–based on the Marvel Comics character created back in 1971 by editor/writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane–stars Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson. A recent addition to the cast is Michael Keaton, who reprises his role as the high-flying Vulture from 2017’s Spider–Man: Homecoming.
Leto also touched on his reported appearance as the maniacal Joker in Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League. But he was very coy about it all. “I may or may not be in it,” he said. “We’ll have to let Zack confirm or deny that one. I may or may not have shot something with Zack, but I love him. He is just a maverick and an incredible filmmaker.”
So, keep reading Horror News Network for all updates on Morbius and for all sightings of the Joker.
