If you’re a fan of comic books and vampires then Morbius is the movie you’ve been waiting for. The popular Marvel vampire is making his way to the Sony cinematic universe and will be kicking 2022 off in bloody style.
For those who aren’t as familiar with Morbius, we’ve got your back.
Who is Morbius, the living vampire?
Dr Michael Morbius was an award-winning biochemist who became a vampire not by supernatural means but by a biochemical experiment gone wrong.
Morbius grew up with a rare blood disease that he attempted to cure himself but instead, he ended up giving himself pseudo-vampiric abilities. Some of these abilities include flight, enhanced speed and strength, super hearing and a need to drink blood to stay alive.
In Marvel Comics he has commonly been an enemy of Spider-Man but eventually spawned his own series of comics. Morbius also has history with other notable Marvel players like Blade, Ghost Rider and the Sinister Six.
#Morbius Comic Con Magazine. pic.twitter.com/wD0s11WuaY
— MORBIUS 🦇 (@MorbiusUpdates) March 26, 2020
When is Moribius out in cinema?
Marvel’s living vampire’s ultimate truth to this point is constant delays. It was originally planned for a July 2020 premiere, but Sony Pictures pushed Morbius to March 19, 2021, due to nationwide, pandemic-related theater closures. In January 2021, the studio pushed the film again to October 8, 2021, before moving it once again to January 21, 2022. In May 2021, it was pushed one more week, to January 28, 2022. Finally, just a few weeks before the January release date, Sony moved the film again to an April 1, 2022, release.
What’s going on in the movie?
The synopsis for Sony’s Morbius movie seems pretty in line with the character’s comic origins:
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.
We’ve also got a trailer for Morbius that give a better idea of what to expect.
New trailer
The newest Morbius trailer sees far more finished visual effects and explores the titular character’s vampiric journey while toeing the line between hero and villain.
Is Morbius part of the MCU?
When it comes to Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, things get complicated.
Each studio has licensing agreements for different Marvel characters. Sony has the rights to Spider-Man and a lot of his associated characters, meanwhile, Marvel Studios has the rights to basically all the other characters you see in the MCU.
While the two have been able to come to an agreement on some things, such as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man appearances, others are kept strictly within each studio’s wheelhouse.
Morbius is part of Sony’s Spider-Man universe which includes the likes of Venom and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter film.
It’s more likely we’ll see Morbius crossover with Tom Hardy’s Venom in the future, but you might catch some Spider-Man references in Morbius as well.
These leaked images are from Morbius, this week Tyrese confirmed that they were filming more scenes. pic.twitter.com/GiqcyR5A8b
— MORBIUS 🦇 (@MorbiusUpdates) February 9, 2020
Who is in the cast?
As you can see from the trailers, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club, Suicide Squad) is taking the lead as Morbius.
Happy Monday 🙏🏼 Hope everyone has a great week XO pic.twitter.com/yZ9n94xksw
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) January 31, 2022
He’s accompanied by Matt Smith (The Crown), Adria Arjona (6 Underground), Jared Harris (Chernobyl), Al Madrigal (The Way Back) and Tyrese Gibson (F9).
The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life).
