Early next year, Jared Leto is headlining Morbius, the next film in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man adjacent movie universe. And in a new Morbius preview scene, Leto’s character, Dr. Michael Morbius, undergoes a startling transformation into a living vampire. As in the comics, Michael is desperately trying to cure his rare blood disease. Unfortunately, the cure may be far worse than the disease.
In the preview, Michael and his fiancée, Martine Bancroft, are prisoners on a ship and under heavy guard. Martine is also a doctor, but even she couldn’t have foreseen that Michael’s treatment would strip him of his humanity. Michael’s transition from human to vampire looks extremely painful. But he has it easy compared to the guards after he unleashes his fangs and claws. Workman’s comp probably can’t cover those injuries.
What’s the difference between a “living vampire” and a traditional member of the undead? Michael Morbius isn’t vulnerable to the supernatural weaknesses of vampires. So crosses and holy water aren’t going to have much of an impact on him. Unfortunately, Michael’s thirst for blood is all too real, and it may cost him his humanity. To save his own life, Michael will have to come to terms with the idea of drinking blood to survive. And that means taking lives to prolong his own existence.
Adria Arjona co-stars as Martine Bancroft, while former Doctor Who star Matt Smith takes on the role of Loxias Crown. Within the film, Loxias is Michael’s friend and they both share the same blood affliction. However, Loxias is far more willing to cross moral lines in the search for a cure. That’s going to put these friends on a path towards a potentially lethal confrontation, which only one of them can survive.
Michael’s newfound bloodlust will also draw some very unwelcome attention from the FBI. Tyrese Gibson is co-starring in the film as Simon Stroud, the FBI agent who is leading the hunt to capture Michael. While Simon has no powers of his own, he does have some kind of mechanical weapon arm that may even the odds against this living vampire. Simon’s partner, Alberto Rodriguez will be played by The Daily Show veteran Al Madrigal.
Jared Harris also co-stars in the film as Michael’s mentor, but Sony hasn’t released the name of Harris’ character. Regardless, the most surprising co-star in this film is Michael Keaton, who will reprise his role as Adrian Toomes/Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming. The implication of Vulture’s appearance is that Morbius takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it’s unclear how this will tie into Spider-Man: No Way Home or any future Venom movies.
Daniel Espinosa directed Morbius from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. It will hit theaters on January 28, 2022.
