Sony Pictures Entertainment's Morbius film starring Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius is reportedly finishing principal photography in May. Next on the studio's superhero film docket after Tom Hardy's Venom successfully launched their own franchise, the film will be directed by Daniel Espinosa who previously helmed Ryan Reynolds/Jake Gyllenhaal's Life. Not much is known regarding plot specifics of the flick but the development of the project has been underway for quite a while now.
Fans were surprised to learn last June that Leto has signed on to play a different comic book character in a film from another studio considering that he's technically still attached to reprise his role as the Joker in Warner Bros.' DCEU. Currently, another project revolving around the Clown Prince of Crime is in the works with Joaquin Phoenix playing the iconic character, but the Joker standalone will be separate from the established lore, allowing Leto to return and play the same role. But with his future with DC still bleak at the moment, the singer/actor is moving on with his upcoming Marvel gig.
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A report from HNE reveals that Morbius might wrap up filming sometime this May with production supposed to last three months as it reportedly kicks off in February. Considering the nearing start of principal photography, it's safe to assume that official casting news will be announced any time soon. Last people heard regarding this, Adria Arjona has been in talks to play the movie's female lead, Martine Bancroft. Previous casting breakdowns revealed the involvement of Morbius' usual love interest, but also hinted at who the primary villain of the project will be.
While Morbius has yet to get an official release date, this new report backs up previous claims that the movie might roll out July of 2020 after Sony secured two dates next year for their Marvel properties, the other one being October of the same year - believed to be for Venom 2 which is now officially moving forward. With more than a year between wrapping principal photography and its release date, the studio has plenty of time to polish the flick during post-production. Given this tentative schedule, it's curious if a panel for San Diego Comic-Con 2019 could be devoted to the film alongside with the release of a trailer.
With Sony building its own cinematic franchise revolving around Spider-Man tie-in characters, it'll also be interesting if there are any explicit narrative connections between Morbius and what fans have seen in Venom. Should that be the case, then fans can expect to see a storyline through all films including Venom 2 and the planned Black Cat and Silver Sable standalone flicks.
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Source: HNE