MOVIE NEWS – Morbius star Jared Leto doesn’t believe that cinema would still exist if it weren’t for Marvel.

Jared Leto, currently busy promoting his upcoming film Morbius, recently praised superhero movies for keeping cinema alive. In Morbius, due out next month, Jared Leto plays the titular anti-hero, Dr. Michael Morbius, who gains vampire-like superhuman abilities after his attempts to cure a rare blood disorder go awry. In an interview with Variety, Leto spoke at length about the upcoming film and his future as the character. The Oscar-winning actor also talked about how Marvel saved the movie industry after the pandemic wreaked havoc on the film industry.

“If it wasn’t for Marvel films, I don’t even know if theatres would exist. It doesn’t seem like there’s room for everyone, and that starts to become a little heartbreaking. I also have gratitude for these movies because they’re keeping cinema alive.”

Leto makes bold statements, and many would disagree with him, but there is some truth in his words. Comic book movies and other established franchises have been the best-performing theatres during the pandemic, with a few surprising exceptions, such as Dune. On the other hand, films by several established and bankable directors, such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, were huge flops. Both West Side Story and The Last Duel were made on budgets of $100 million and grossed well below expectations.

But Leto is grateful to be in films made for the big screen.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a couple of movies in a row that are supporting cinema,” he said, referring to his last two films, House of Gucci and The Little Things. Leto also recalled his childhood memories while declaring himself a lifelong movie fan. “I know how important that was for me as a kid… escaping to the movies. That cultural experience was quite informative and impactful, I saw movies in theaters that changed my life.”

It’s clear that movies mean a lot to Jared Leto, and his passion is evident in every performance, even if his peers have criticised him for overdoing the method acting, which he calls “immersive work”. While Leto didn’t resort to his usual antics to get into character as Morbius, he did do extensive research on the characters, even meeting doctors and patients with incurable diseases. How much of this is reflected in Leto’s portrayal of Morbius remains to be seen.

Morbius is also important because it refers to every single Marvel movie universe, including Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, the MCU, Venom and Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man universe. It is not yet clear which continuity Morbius is set in.

Morbius, starring Jared Leto, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson, Jared Harris and Michael Keaton, will hit theatres on April 1, 2022.

Source: Variety