Jared Leto teases intense, dark, and scary Morbius: "I took this real character approach to the role"
Exclusive: Jared Leto talks about the upcoming Sony/Marvel movie, Morbius, with Total Film
Jared Leto's no stranger to superhero movies. The actor appeared in Suicide Squad as Joker, yet his role was greatly cut down during the final edit. Now, Leto will be at the center of a new comic-book adaptation, bringing the vampiric Morbius to the big screen for the first time.
"With the exception of being in a couple of animated shows [he can also be seen in the DVD bonus scenes of Stephen Norrington’s Blade, in a deleted ending], Morbius is a character that’s never been on screen before, so it was an opportunity to build him from the ground up," Leto tells Total Film magazine over Zoom for the new issue, available this Friday.
"I really am quite taken with Dr. Michael Morbius, and the movie is intense. It’s on the darker side of the universe, and the scarier side of the universe, which we’re just starting with. If we do more movies, we can explore that a bit more."
Morbius was meant to reach cinemas in July 2020, intended to be the second movie in Sony's expanding universe of Marvel characters, following on from Venom. Now, however, it's due for release in 2022. And while we have a long time to wait, Leto's very excited for the world to see his movie.
"It’s got a ton of action and adventure in it, and it’s fun for me because I got a chance to do one of these big Marvel/Sony movies, but also take this real character approach to the role,” says Leto. "I’m really excited. This guy starts off trying to save himself and others because he has this rare disease – he’s at the end of his life, actually, and he’s frail and sickly – and then he goes through a series of transformations. So it’s really exciting as an actor to approach this film, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it."
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Read the full interview with Leto – who can next be seen on screen in The Little Things on HBO Max, and is scheduled to release in the UK in the spring – in the new issue of Total Film magazine when it hits shelves (real and digital) this Friday, February 5. Check out the new covers below, as revealed by Jared Leto himself:
I had the pleasure of sitting down with @totalfilm Magazine to talk about bringing my character, Albert Sparma, to life in #TheLittleThingsMovie. Working with John Lee Hancock, Denzel Washington, and Rami Malek was incredible and unforgettable. Coming to UK Cinemas soon. pic.twitter.com/jBjZPSOJOyJanuary 30, 2021
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Jamie Graham is the Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You'll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that's just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.
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