MANILA, PHILIPPINES — One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen in the action-thriller Morbius 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. While at first, it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
“Morbius is searching for goodness – the cure for a disease. He’s going to find it, disregarding the cost on himself or on society,” says director Daniel Espinosa. “And in his search for goodness, he transforms into something he detests. He has to accept the ugliness he has within him, and that there’s something beautiful about it. It will be his strength, what makes him unique.”
Morbius’s increasingly desperate research leads him to combine human DNA with that of the vampire bat – the only mammal that survives solely on blood – which has evolved to develop anticoagulants… a genetic mutation that Morbius is convinced will cure him and others with his disease. Not only does the treatment cure him, but gives him superhuman strength, the agility of an Olympic athlete, even the echolocation powers of the bat – to “see” objects in space by harnessing the sounds around him. But the cure also transforms Morbius into a (literally) bloodthirsty monster – a hideous creature with cravings that he is only somewhat able to control.
According to Espinosa, it’s the character’s inner humanity, his duality between virtuous man and brutal creature, that makes him so compelling. “Michael Morbius is one of the most altruistic characters of the Marvel Universe,” he says. “He’s one of the few that really believes in good. This good man has a horrible disease, and in his trials to save himself and the people that he cares for, he turns into a monster.”
As a man who has spent countless hours reading and thinking about comic books, Espinosa says that it isn’t so surprising that Morbius’s duality has earned him a following. “Most great heroes are antiheroes,” he says. “Most of us are resistant to accept that we are the chosen one, and Morbius is the same. The most interesting characters in the Marvel universe have always been those that have had one foot on each side: Magneto, Rogue, Wolverine, in his own way, Venom. All of these characters are the ones that are fundamentally the most fascinating for us as moviegoers and comic book readers.”
Columbia Pictures presents in association with MARVEL, an Avi Arad / Matt Tolmach production, Morbius. Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. Directed by Daniel Espinosa. Produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Lucas Foster. Screen Story and Screenplay by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless. Based on the MARVEL Comics.
Exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines on March 30, Morbius is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #Morbius
Photo and Video Credit: “Columbia Pictures”
