Sony Pictures announced it officially pushed the release of its upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, Morbius, from Jan. 28 to April 1.
News of the film's theatrical release being delayed came roughly a week after it was confirmed the Jared Leto-led film clocks in at one hour and 48 minutes (108 minutes) long, making it 10 minutes longer than Sony's most recent Marvel spinoff, Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
While some details about the plot of Morbius have been revealed, Leto recently teased the film could also serve as a jumping-off point for a future project about Marvel's Sinister Six, the infamous team of Spider-Man villains first introduced in 1964's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1.
"In the film version of Morbius that we're bringing to you now, he's also a part of a much larger universe," the actor said at the time. "If you've seen the last Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, you know the multiverse has officially opened -- and there's all kinds of opportunities for villains to meet up, thrive and maybe even nurture their more sinister intents. That's all I'm gonna say for right now."
In fact, a trailer for Morbius released in November 2021 appeared to include a handful of Easter Eggs suggesting fellow Spider-Man villains Rhino and Black Cat could also pop up in the film. Fans will recall that Rhino and Black Cat (as Felicia Hardy) were most recently portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Felicity Jones, respectively, in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
During the promotion for No Way Home, Tom Holland also said he'd love to see Spidey face-off with the living vampire in a future project. "I actually think the Morbius film looks really cool. And it's quite scary, that film," the actor said at the time. "I think Morbius could be quite a cool thing to do. Spider-Man versus a vampire?"
The official synopsis for Morbius reads,
One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now. Directed by Daniel Espinosa from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, Morbius is now slated for release on April 1.
Source: Sony