Jared Leto to play Morbius the Living Vampire in Spider-Man spinoff

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Take a good look at Jared Leto. Would you believe that he's approaching 50 years-old? I certainly wouldn't, but it does make him a good candidate to play a vampire, although perhaps Morbius isn't the one he had in mind. The SUICIDE SQUAD actor will be returning to the realm of comic-books as it has been announced that he's signed on to play Morbius the Living Vampire in the latest installment of Sony's Spider-Man universe. You know, the one which won't actually feature Spider-Man. That's the one.

Set to be directed by Daniel Espinosa (LIFE), the film will follow Dr. Michael Morbius, "a scientist who suffered from a rare blood disease and attempted to cure himself to disastrous results. Instead of being cured, he became afflicted with a condition that was a form of vampirism — the thirst for blood, along with fangs and super strength." Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Lost in Space) will tackle the script. Variety claims that Jared Leto has been loosely attached to the Morbius project for some time, but wouldn't sign on the dotted line until he knew that the film was progressing in the right direction. He also met with several of the filmmakers who were up for the gig, but seemed to spark to Daniel Espinosa which led to the director getting the job. Sony hasn't yet given the film a release date, but production is expected to kick off later this year, so we're likely to hear more before too long. In addition to the Morbius project, Jared Leto is also slated to reprise his role of the Joker in a standalone SUICIDE SQUAD spin-off.

Sound off below, how do you feel about Jared Leto taking on the role of Morbius?

VENOM, the first installment of Sony's own slice of the Marvel Universe, will hit theaters on October 5, 2018.