Jared Leto teases intense, dark, and scary Morbius: "I took this real character approach to the role"

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."

• Not a subscriber to Total Film? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device

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:

If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an upcoming issue? Sign up via MagazinesDirect and with the latest offer you'll save 60 per cent - that's better than half price! - on a print and digital bundle. You'll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers like The Little Things one below that's currently on its way to subs.