Marvel fans are elated for the new addition to their movie vault, Morbius. The living vampire started as a Spider-Man foe but grew to become a fan favorite anti-hero (much in the same way Venom, who also got a solo-film, did). Although Sony doesn't have a great track record with Marvel properties, many are still hopeful that the new Morbius movie will be a smashing success.
Some time back, it was announced that Jared Leto would be playing the titular character. The recently released trailer showed Leto totally embracing the comic-book role. Here are the top ten reasons that Jared Leto is perfect to take on the role.
10 Morbius Needs A Big Name
While Morbius the Living Vampire may be well-known by hardcore Marvel fans, the general public is much less knowledgable about the character. They have also seen an overabundance of both superhero and vampire movies over the last few decades. To be a true blockbuster success, Morbius will need to find new ways to entice general audiences to pay to watch the movie.
At this point in his career, Jared Leto is an absolute box office draw. Rather than promote the film as another, generic Marvel movie, producers will be able to tout its impressive lead actor.
9 Fresh Off Of Joker
Only a few years ago, Jared Leto was playing a significant role in DC's Suicide Squad as one of the most popular comic book villains of all time. While the movie wasn't exactly loved by critics, it still made a lot of money. Fans of DC Comics were very pleased with the final product.
Leto is now quite familiar with what it takes to play a comic book character. There are a lot of fan expectations thrown in, and certain aspects of every character are important to pull from the comics if you want to stay faithful to the source material. Going into Morbius, Leto will have all of this knowledge, making him a great candidate for the role.
8 Method Acting
Perhaps one of the things Jared Leto is most well known for is his style of method acting. When Leto prepares for a role, he digs deep into his psyche in order to put himself in the character's shoes.
For the majority of his career, this has brought Leto some great success. Bringing this style of acting to a superhero movie may yield similar results as it did with some of his other iconic performances.
7 Physically Disciplined
Morbius has an unbelievable physique in his comic book appearances. For an actor to play him, Sony Pictures would need to choose someone who has great physical discipline. As for the character's alter ego, physical discipline is needed as well, except in a different way. He needs to look sickly.
In his other roles, Jared Leto has proved an ability to both maintain peak physical condition as well as a more sickly, skinny disposition. He'll be able to do both in the upcoming film, making this another reason why his casting is perfect.
6 Anti-Hero
Morbius may be superhuman, but he isn't exactly a hero. In his very first appearance, the vampire was put into conflict with Marvel's favorite creation, Spider-Man.
That being said, Michael Morbius has seemed to always be wanting to do the right thing. In today's day and age of moral ambiguity, anti-heroes are becoming more and more popular. Leto has played a few morally ambiguous characters of his own and definitely knows how to toe that line.
5 Cares About The Fans
Although his stint as the Joker was met with mixed feelings, one thing was made abundantly clear during his time as the character: Leto cares about comic book fans. He worked hard to make his version of the Joker iconic. While some may not have liked his choices, it's clear he put a lot of time and passion into the role.
Because of his passion for the fans, it is clear that Leto is going to do the character justice. Whether the movie as a whole succeeds remains to be seen, but it's a safe bet that Leto's performance will impress.
4 He Has Played Similar Roles
When it comes to the emaciated Michael Morbius, Jared Leto has played similar roles. The most prominent example of this is in Dallas Buyers Club, where Leto played a trans woman with HIV.
Due to this and the other morally grey characters that Leto has played, he seems like the obvious candidate to tackle this part. The actor's career has led him to this moment.
3 Always Wanted To Play A Vampire
In an interview he had during filming, Leto revealed that he has wanted to play a vampire since he was a little kid. As a child, he loved to watch various vampire flicks, such as 1931's Dracula.
Childlike passion such as this is what can take an actor's performance over the top. It is often the difference-maker between good and great. Knowing that this has been a lifelong dream of his can allow fans to be more confident that Leto is going to knock this one out of the park.
2 The Hair
Morbius' hair is known to look a very specific way. It has a long, dark, and skinny disposition. Although any actor could simply grow out of their hair or wear a wig, it's often better to have a performer who can naturally pull a look off.
Any picture of Jared Leto shows him with the perfect hair cut. His favored hairstyle matches the iconic Morbius look almost perfectly. In some ways, it seems like he was born to play the part.
1 Great Actor
Jared Leto is one of the most skilled actors working in Hollywood today. He's won an Academy Award, along with various other awards for his many iconic performances.
Oftentimes the popular mainstream movie stars that are chosen to play comic book heroes don't have much of a history winning awards. The fact that Leto does makes him a great choice.