Sony Pictures released their new trailer for Morbius, that is full of thrills, scares, and MCU cameos.
As Disney continues to expand its Marvel cinematic universe, following the record-breaking release of Avengers: Endgame, Sony has been making bold steps to create their own superhero world. The studio holds the multi-billion dollar theatrical rights to Spider-Man and his cast of supporting characters that number in the hundreds. As a result, the studio has enacted a bold plan to maximize the cards that they acquired when Marvel Comics was on the verge of bankruptcy back in the 1990’s.
Venom was a surprisingly successful experiment, grossing over $850 million dollars worldwide and proving that audiences would buy tickets to a “Spider-Verse” movie, even if it didn’t actually feature Spider-Man himself. Spider-Man: Far From Home was the most profitable film in the franchise’s history, while the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse garnered a well-deserved Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The studio has certainly earned their newfound confidence in their vision for Spider-Man, all things considered.
Today, we get our first look at the next film in the pipeline, Morbius. The film stars Academy Award winner Jared Leto (Blade Runner 2049 and, perhaps ironically, Suicide Squad) as Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist with a crippling blood disease whose search for a cure horrifically leads him to transform into a living vampire. The film is based on the Marvel Comic of the same name, and by the looks of the trailer, it will be full of surprises. Check it out below:
The trailer effectively reveals the story of Morbius, and it looks like it will showcase a super heroic vampire on a scale that we haven’t seen since the Blade franchise. It’s clear that Sony is putting some weight behind the film, both in terms of the scope and the production values. Many were puzzled by the film’s July release, which is typically reserved for event films, but now the decision is clear. Additionally, the film boldly teases that there may be room for comic book movie glory yet for Jared Leto, who would certainly be pulling off a major offscreen redemption story after his reviled turn as Joker in Suicide Squad.
Jared Leto isn’t doing this alone, though. He’s joined by Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Tyrese Gibson (The Fast and the Furious), Adria Arjona (6 Underground and Good Omens), and Michael Keaton (Birdman and you know what else). As impressive as the trailer is, undoubtedly the surprise cameo from Keaton as Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Adrian Toomes is the current provider of water cooler talk, and will probably continue to be for months to come.
His appearance – not to mention the brief glimpse of the Spider-Man art on the wall and the callback to Peter Parker’s arrest warrant – seems to indicate that the MCU connections are also here to stay for the developing Spider-Verse. Whether they can then make the leap to the rest of the MCU is another story entirely, however.
Morbius Official Synopsis
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.
Morbius will be released on July 31st, 2020. What do you think about the trailer, and how did you react to Michael Keaton’s cameo? Is the Spider-Verse going in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below.
