Earlier this month, a mid-credits scene in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” confirmed a cross-over ahead between the MCU and Sony‘s Spider-Man Universe. How much overlap there is between the two franchises remains to be seen, however. A future collision between Eddie Brook, Peter Parker, and their respective alter-egos may be imminent, but who knows if it will happen in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” or further down the line of Marvel Phases?
READ MORE: Sony Says ‘Morbius’ Doesn’t Take Place In The MCU Despite Tyrese Gibson Saying So
There are other upcoming films on the way on both sides beyond the much-hyped “No Way Home” to get excited for, anyway. First up on Sony’s side? “Morbius,” a Jared Leto vehicle that’s the origin of one of the Spider-Man comic’s most memorable rogues. Why is Morbius so noteworthy? Well, for one, the villain is perhaps the most classically gothic of Spider-Man’s many horror-tinged characters: a vigilante with pseudo-vampiric abilities.
Here’s the film’s 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, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.
Leto has been a divisive onscreen presence of late, with his performances in “Suicide Squad,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and “The Little Things” garnering a lot of flak for how hollow and affected they are. However, “Morbius” also stars other talents like Matt Smith and Tyrese Gibson. Adria Arjona, Jared Harris and Al Madrigal round out the main cast. Additionally, Michael Keaton returns in a cameo as Adrian Toomes/Vulture from 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” another blatant tease of more upcoming MCU/SSU cross-over.
Daniel Esposito directs “Morbius” from a script by the team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The tandem has some horror credentials among them, with Esposito’s last film being 2017’s space thriller “Life,” while Sazama and Sharpless co-wrote 2014’s “Dracula Untold.”
READ MORE: ‘Morbius’ Trailer: The SpiderVerse Universe Expands With A Vampiric Jared Leto
With a “Kraven The Hunter” film and an MCU reboot of “Blade” starring Mahershala Ali coming in 2023, it’s tempting to speculate about the future of Spider-Man on the big screen. How will “Morbius” fit into that future? Audiences find out on January 22, 2022, when the film hits theaters everywhere. Check out the new trailer below.