Jared Leto revealed that Morbius, his upcoming film, is part of an expanded universe. Morbius hits theaters in March 2021 after being delayed from its initially July 2020 release date because of the coronavirus pandemic. Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, and Tyrese Gibson, the film is an origin story for Morbius (Leto). The film will track his journey as he attempts to rid himself of a rare blood disease, ultimately becoming a super-powered vampire.

Plans for a Spider-Man expanded universe have suffered fits and starts since Andrew Garfield was still playing the web-slinger. When The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed, Sony put those plans on hold. Since then, though, Sony has reignited efforts to build an expanded universe. The success of 2018's Venom and Into the Spider-Verse has only heightened the studio's interest in developing a web of interconnected characters. With Jamie Foxx's Electro potentially joining Spider-Man 3, it's clear things are in motion, but precisely what they entail is unclear.

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Leto's comments are sure to add to the speculation that Sony is gearing up for something big. While introducing the Morbius trailer for fans in Japan, Leto let it slip that the film is part of an expanding universe. Sony still owns some of the rights to Tom Holland's Spider-Man, as well as a slew of other Spidey-related characters. Check out Leto's full quote below.

I can't wait for you to check out my new movie Morbius. I'm very excited, coming your way very soon... I think it's going to be a fun one and I can't wait for you guys to see it. It's an exciting role in an expanded universe with a lot for all of us to look forward to.

Expanded universes are all the rage right now, and Sony looks to be trying to capitalize on that. As they flesh out their line-up of villains, the Sony universe is primed to eventually bring Spidey in at some point so he can face some of the classic villains associated with the character. After 2015 introduced Spider-Man into the MCU, though, things became more complicated. While Sony is still working on fleshing out the characters, it still owns the primary rights to it is unclear how exactly Spider-Man will factor into Sony's universe.

That hasn't stopped Sony from fleshing out their roster of characters, though. It looks like anything is possible with the increasing probability of more crossovers and an impending explosion of Multiverse related eventsInto the Spider-Verse already teased an expanded universe, and with Morbius adding to that and another Venom film in the pipeline, Sony is gearing up for something big. Leto's comments seem to confirm that and will only add hype to theories surrounding this universe, including the prospect of Spider-Man alums Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning for Spider-Man 3.

More: Spider-Man 3 Should Bring Back Tobey Maguire (But Not As Spider-Man)

Source: Jared Leto

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