Venom Producers Give Morbius the Living Vampire Update
With Venom‘s $80 million opening weekend shattering box office records, it’s only a matter of time before another installment of Sony’s Marvel Universe gets underway. Thanks to longtime Spider-Man franchise producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, we now know that the studio’s take on Morbius the Living Vampire is up next.
News of the project, along with Jared Leto’s casting and director Daniel Espinosa’s involvement, first made headlines back in June. There hasn’t been a lot of new information since then, but in a recent interview with Collider, Arad and Tolmach provided a few brief updates on the film. Arad offered the noncommittal response of “More or less, February?” when asked when filming might start. However, he confirmed that Leto is still attached to play Morbius. We also know that the filmmakers are sticking with the script written by the team of Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Power Rangers, Gods of Egypt).
The producers were also asked about the possibility of an R-rated film making its way into their shared universe after many fans were expecting Venom to be given such a rating. “If the success of the story depends on [it] being R-rated…Then, of course, we can do it,” said Araid. “But at least for me, I have grand kids, kids, whatever, all these things, and some of these movies, they’re dying to see. You know? As I took my grandson, seven, to the recording session of Venom. And he had the time of his life.”
RELATED: Jared Leto to star in Sony’s Morbius the Living Vampire Movie
Tolmach echoed these remarks: “I don’t think there’s a rule written somewhere in stone that all of them have to be one thing, alright? I think what Avi’s saying is right. I think we’ve all talked about, ‘Well, if one of these presents itself in a way…’ Look, we have all seen, as you’ve said, the R-rated versions of these movies now working. So, that’s out there. You can succeed to a staggering degree.”
Morbius first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 in 1971 as the alter ego of Nobel Prize-winning biologist Michael Morbius. When he learned that he was dying from a rare blood disease, the brilliant scientist attempted to produce a cure by combining the DNA of vampire bats with electroshock therapy. The procedure saved his life, but at the cost of transforming him into a vampire with an unrelenting bloodlust.
Are you excited to see Morbius cross paths with Venom on the big screen? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
