Jared Leto Feels Honored To Be First On-Screen Morbius

Actor Jared Leto says that Morbius is a lot of fun. Morbius is based on the Spider-Man villain/anti-hero from the Marvel comics. Originally created in 1971 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #101. Often referred to as “The Living Vampire,” Morbius’ origin in the film looks to follow that of the comics, which has Dr. Michael Morbius, a prominent biochemist with a rare blood disorder, turning himself into a vampire-like creature after an experiment to find a cure goes wrong.

Directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safe House), Morbius is the first live-action iteration of the character and stars Leto as the titular character. The film looks to take place in some variation of the growing multiverse of the MCU and Sony’s Spider-Verse. The trailer features characters and likenesses from older Spider-Man movies, as well as the newer ones, including a reference to Tom Hardy’s Venom at one point. Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture also makes an appearance in the latest trailer for Morbius, which has been well received overall.

Speaking to Screen Rant about the new MCU/Sony hybrid film, Leto was asked to describe what audiences are in for, to which he said he “doesn’t know if it’s describable” and that he’s “excited by Dr. Michael Morbius.” Leto goes on to say that he’s “honored” to bring the character to life on screen, something which he notes is becoming more difficult, as there are “so many of these great characters” already in their own movies. The actor, who is appearing in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci later this month, goes on to say that he hopes audiences will head into the theater to see Morbius on its release.

Exclusive: “I don’t know if it’s describable! But I’m excited by Dr. Michael Morbius. I really am so honored to bring a character to life for the very first time on screen. And that’s harder and harder, because there’s so many of these great characters that have already been on screen … That was something that was really exciting to me and I think it’s a film that, after all that we’ve gone through the past couple of years, just get in the movie theater and have a great time. And I hope that’s what people take from ‘House of Gucci’ and from ‘Morbius.'”

Leto is no stranger to comic book roles, as he has portrayed The Joker twice for Warner Bros./DC. The first time was in director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad in 2016, followed by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a role he shot specifically for the full release of the film this past March. Ayer has been lobbying hard to see his “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad to be released in order to show his original vision for the film, which featured much more of Leto’s portrayal as The Joker, which was significantly condensed down for the theatrical cut. Even with the criticism of his portrayal, Leto has remained committed to his work with the character, even if the full scope of his performance has yet to be seen.

As an actor, Leto has remained an enigmatic and talented performer, winning an Oscar for his supporting performance in Dallas Buyer’s Club, while still managing to work in more commercial projects like Suicide Squad and Morbius. Leto is also the lead singer of band 30 Seconds To Mars, which continues to tour and put out new music, keeping the prolific creator exceptionally busy. For this month’s House of Gucci, Leto plays real-life personality Paolo Gucci, which features an almost unrecognizable look for the actor. A provoking creator, Leto is sure to continue to pop up in new and interesting projects, potentially with more from his comic-book roles if all goes well with Morbius.