Jared Leto Gets A Second Chance At Hero Work In Marvel's New 'Jekyll and Hyde' Story, 'Morbius'

If you thought The Hulk was as close as Marvel gets to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, think again: There's an even darker version out there, and, fittingly, the casting team at Sony has decided to fill the role in their last Marvel movie for a while with none other than 30 Seconds To Mars frontman and former Joker, Jared Leto.

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It would be an understatement to say Leto's Joker was not well-recieved; Suicide Squad received only a 26% critical score and a 59% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many noting that an overly-edgy Joker shared part of the blame.

However, much of the criticism also went to the the "choppy directing," which was likely caused by the studio interference that director David Ayer referred to in a public letter renouncing the cut of the movie that was released in theaters. You can't very well blame actors for choppy direction, and you can't blame directors for studio interference, so it stands to reason that what the public saw of Suicide Squad was not representative of either's full talents.

That, plus Leto's other numerous acting awards and accolades, probably factored into the decision to cast him as Marvel's Dr. Michael Morbius, a gifted medical professional who has lived most of his life dying of a rare blood disorder.

Morbius is on a mission to make sure nobody suffers like himself and his patients ever again. On his search for a cure, Morbius goes missing for two months - but when he returns, he's healthier than he's ever been. The only problem? He wants blood.

Whatever mysterious cure Dr. Morbius finds - which, based on the trailer, involves bats and blood sacrifice - turns him into a sort of werewolf-vampire hybrid: He can go faster, hear better, and fly, but he also has a deep, desperate craving for blood to suppress, and if things get too intense he grows fangs and weird eyes. Morbius will have to find a way to tow the line between the good, benevolent doctor he was, and the monster that has taken up residence inside him.

Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, and Michael Keaton alongside Leto, Morbius promises thought-provoking philosophical questions as well as dark action and truly impressive effects. You can see Leto get his second chance at herodom when Morbius hits theaters sometime in 2022.