Matt Smith, Jared Leto, Adria Arjona and Director Daniel Espinosa discuss Morbius (2022)

Morbius

Columbia Pictures/Marvel Entertainment/Arad Productions/Matt Tolmach Productions

Sony Pictures Releasing

Jared Leto who plays Dr. Michael Morbius discusses Morbius

“I’m attracted to roles where there’s an opportunity to transform – physical transformation, but also mental, emotional, any and all. 

I played Dr. Michael Morbius from his most frail, to his most powerful, to his most monstrous.  There’s a lot of range in there, so that was really fun to tackle. Not only does the movie have action, stunts, and fighting, but the role itself was taxing. Whenever he is fighting the affliction, he is caught at a crossroads between different parts of the character. It’s like a withdrawal process, a full-body experience.”

At the end of the day, he’s a very good person. He’s using his talent, his skills, his education, his brains, in search of noble pursuits. He’s not without his faults – he’s breaking some rules, but he’s doing it to find the cure and help people like himself.”

Daniel Espinosa, who directs the film discusses Morbius

"Morbius is searching for goodness – the cure for a disease. He’s going to find it, disregarding the cost to himself or to society.

And in his search for goodness, he transforms into something he detests. He has to accept the ugliness he has within him, and that there’s something beautiful about it. It will be his strength, what makes him unique.”

Michael Morbius is one of the most altruistic characters in the Marvel Universe.  He’s one of the few that really believes in good. This good man has a horrible disease, and in his trials to save himself and the people that he cares for, he turns into a monster."

When Morbius discovers his inner beast, he becomes afraid of it – and because he’s afraid, he’s also afraid of his powers. He’s afraid that they will take over and change him, so he’s constantly resisting them. To become the hero, he has to accept his fate: Morbius’s journey is to accept that he will still remain the person that he is, but he has to harness these powers.”

Most great heroes are antiheroes.  Most of us are resistant to accepting that we are the chosen ones, and Morbius is the same. The most interesting characters in the Marvel universe have always been those that have had one foot on each side: Magneto, Rogue, Wolverine, in his own way, Venom. All of these characters are the ones that are fundamentally the most fascinating for us as moviegoers and comic book readers.”

Producer Lucas Foster discusses Morbius

“Michael Morbius goes through several transformations in this movie. 

He starts off as someone who has little hope of survival. Over the course of his experiments and pushing the boundaries, making decisions that are on the edge of medical ethics, he does fix what he set out to fix – in fact, not only does he cure his disease, the treatment also brings him to the peak of physical health. But it also results in a transformation that he didn’t intend – he becomes a monster, having abilities and cravings that are impossible to control.”

“It’s a fearsome creature. It has all kinds of urges that are not human urges and Dr. Morbius has to deal with the consequences of the monster coming out.”

Matt Smith discusses his role as Morbius’s lifelong best friend Milo 

“He’s a bon vivant, bigger than life, a delight. He’s a lot of fun – even when he’s sick, he’s still trying to live life to its fullest, squeeze every moment he can every enjoyment possible out of his last time on earth.

Michael has always been driven by science. Milo has always been driven by sensation and art. Where Michael was studying the atomic structure and the elements of life, Milo was drinking the finest whisky, watching Bergman films, and eating at the Ivy. He’s all about living in the moment.”

They both get the same power – one goes one way, and one goes the other way. For one of the first times in his life, Milo feels alive and free, physically electric. You’re given the keys to the kingdom – how do you react? Particularly for a person who’s suffered so much and now has powers.”

Adria Arjona discusses playing Martine Bancroft 

“When Martine speaks, people listen. It’s nice to see that in a female character. It’s not just about being pretty or strength or toughness. It’s that she’s the smart one in the room.  At the same time, she’s very curious and has a big heart – her motivation is always to help others, and she’s the same way with Morbius. She’s constantly taking care of him in a different way than he takes care of her. She learns so much from him, but Morbius’s rock is Martine.”

When I started playing this role, I thought, ‘I’m playing with such amazing actors, but I’m not like Martine – I’m goofy and clumsy and Martine is very grounded and secure in herself – when she speaks, it’s like bullets coming out of her mouth.’ So I looked for inspirations I remember seeing an interview with AOC and thinking, everything about her is Martine. She’s youthful, she’s fun, she cares about the way she looks, but she cares even more about what goes into her brain. She’s passionate; when she speaks, you can tell she’s done her research; she’s going to be listened to, no matter who is in front of her. So she was my starting point, a nice way to start my engines.

Jared Harris discusses his character Nicholas Morbius

“Dr. Nicholas takes in young Milo and young Michael – they have a congenital blood-borne disease that is slowly killing them. 

It’s racking away their body. He runs the facility where we look after people who have these illnesses, when there is little hope of a cure.

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Matt Smith discusses the relationship between Milo and Michael Morbius

"They become best friends. They meet in a hospital as they're trying to get better with this very rare blood disease that they have.

As the film goes on they try and find a cure for this very rare blood disease that they both share.

Morbius has a very inquisitive, curious, brilliant mind. He is constantly trying to find a cure, and only his mind can do that.

Milo has had a different experience. He's inherited a lot of money.  He becomes very rich.   He's not been able to attack the problem in quite the same way."

Jared Leto discusses Micheal Morbius in Morbius

"We meet Dr. Michael Morbius when he's sick, frail, fragile, and searching for a cure to a very rare disease that he has and other people like him have around the world.

He's a selfless guy. He's dedicated his life to finding this cure, He's passionate and obsessed. When he finally does have a breakthrough, things don't go exactly as planned. 

I read every comic I could. I dove in deep and looked at the source material, the artwork.  I talked to doctors and scientists about the terminology, how to get around in the laboratory. 

I was really excited about bringing this character to the screen.

It's exciting to think about going head-to-head with some of these other phenomenal characters like Spider-man, Venom, or even Blade.  Let's see what happens. I had a great opportunity to get in the ring a little bit with Michael Keaton." 

Adria Arjona discusses her character Martine in Morbius

"Martine at the beginning of their relationship is one of 2 colleagues who respect and trust each when it comes to science.

I think Martine sort of challenges him a little bit. She looks up to him.

I think also at the beginning of the film they have this ticking bomb time right? She doesn't know how much time they have together. If he wasn't sick, they would have been together. They would have been great lovers and great partners.  They sort of both push back to that idea because they're terrified of losing each other. 

I think as the movie progresses, especially towards the middle of the movie, he becomes the healthier version of Michael. I think she's terrified of him but trust that deep down inside Michael is still there.  I think seeing him healthy triggers something....maybe we don't have this ticking bomb anymore...maybe this could potentially be something.

It's a very complex and complicated relationship...especially as it progresses.

I think the characters are really well-rounded in this film. They're battling through real-life problems. I think we can all relate to that.

This is still a superhero movie with little different touches of elements that maybe people don't expect.

I'm excited for them to meet Michael Morbius.  I think he's such a complex character." 

Director Daniel Espinosa discusses Morbius 

"It was a complete honor to bring a character to a screen. 

I believe that Morbius always had to be one of the darkest characters in the Marvel universe because he is.

Morbius is not that dark, I mean, he has layers of darkness. 

When it comes down to it, it's still a marvelous superhero movie. You're going to see a person get powers, but also accept his powers and accept who he has to become to be the hero that we want him to be. 

I think it's a thrilling ride. I hope people have a blast."

Morbius

Release date

April 1, 2022

Directed by

Daniel Espinosa

Written by

Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless

Based on

Marvel Comics

Produced by

Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Lucas Foster

Starring

Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius

Matt Smith as Milo

Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft

Jared Harris as Nicholas Morbius

Al Madrigal as Alberto "Al" Rodriguez

Tyrese Gibson as Simon Stroud

Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes / Vulture

Cinematography

Oliver Wood

Music by

Jon Ekstrand