Thanks to Marvel, fans are getting more superhero movies than ever. More than that, studios are now trying to replicate the same formula Marvel Studios’ pulled off by building up their own universes, like Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Because of this, movie theaters are getting more and more customers while actors like Morbius star Jared Leto are getting more work in the superhero movie genre.
While some have criticized superhero films like those in the Spider-Man universe for destroying cinema, Leto has a different take on the matter. Leto, who’s going to star in the upcoming super/vampire film Morbius, praised Marvel for the effect it’s had on the current cinema landscape, specifically with what it’s done for movie theaters everywhere.
“If it wasn’t for Marvel films, I don’t even know if theaters would exist,” Leto said during an interview with Variety. “It doesn’t seem like there’s room for everyone, and that starts to become a little heartbreaking.” Leto also vocalized how excited he is to play the titular character Morbius, seeing how, in spite of there being many superhero reboots, his portrayal of the character will be its first live-action adaptation. “I loved that it was the very first time this character was going to be on-screen… I’ve always been interested in transformation, and this was a way to explore that territory in a big Marvel film. It was impossible to say no.”
This will be Leto’s second go-round in superhero media, as he played the iconic DC villain Joker both in Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Leto received plenty of ire for both his antics behind the scenes and for his rather odd portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Suicide Squad, but enough time has passed that maybe fans are at a point now where they can put all of that firmly in the past. Leto has a proven track record as an actor, so seeing him play a rather obscure Marvel character could actually redeem whatever that was in 2016.
Playing Morbius may be more of a unique opportunity than people are giving it credit for. Yes, it’s getting the publicity it is because it’s a Marvel property, but Morbius is also essentially a vampire, which means there could potentially be much more material to explore here. Given that the last time Hollywood executed a popular vampire movie franchise wasn’t received well critically in the slightest, a film like Morbius could be a step-up from what audiences have seen in the past from the vampire film genre.
While in theory, this could be a fresh new take on the superhero genre, fans have to caution themselves that it’s Sony who is making this. Sony does not have the best track record with the Spider-Man characters they’ve put to film. While they’ve made critically acclaimed films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: No Way Home, they’ve also had some stinkers like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Venom. Until they’ve proven that they know what they’re doing with this universe they’re starting up, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too high.
Morbius will be released in theaters on April 1st, 2022.
Source: Variety
