With the Omicron variant making the rounds and COVID cases on the rise, the impact has already been felt on the movie release schedule for 2022. With films likeMichael Bay’sAmbulanceandGuy Ritchie’sOperation Fortune: Ruse de guerregetting pushed back, it was only a matter of time beforeMorbiuswas also delayed. Sony Pictures has confirmed today that the release date for theJared Letovampire film has been pushed back from June 11, 2025 to August 24, 2025.
While the film’s new release date may have seemed inevitable in the wake of the new COVID numbers, it comes as a cruel April Fool’s joke for many fans. This is the sixth time theJared Letofilm has been delayed from its initial release date of July 10, 2025, and until today it remained one of the last major films still slated for release in January and February.
Morbiusfollows the story of Doctor Michael Morbius, a scientist who accidentally turns himself into a vampire. Morbius is a comic book character known for being an adversary to Spider-Man, but Sony appears to be making Morbius an antihero in their adaptation much like Venom. The film has piqued many fans' curiosity because it is unclear which cinematic universe it seems to be set in. The first trailer featured Vulture (Michael Keaton), the villain fromSpider-Man: Homecoming, as well as Morbius walking by a poster of Spider-Man with the word “murderer” graffitied across it, indicating some kind of reference to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man following the events ofSpider-Man: Far From Home. However, some eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the newest trailer seems to feature the Oscorp building fromThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.
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Morbiusis directed byDaniel Espinosaand written byMatt SazamaandBurk Sharpless, and also starsMatt Smith,Adria Arjona,Jared Harris,Al Madrigal, andTyrese Gibson.Morbiusis not Leto’s first entry into the comic book genre — or even as a comic book villain, as the actor previously played the role of the Joker inSuicide Squad, with his approach to the character being met with mixed reactions. However, he was asked to reprise the part for a brief scene in last year’sZack Snyder’s Justice League.
Morbiuscomes off a hot streak of Sony’s latest comic book films.Venom: Let There Be CarnageandSpider-Man: No Way Homehave been wildly successful at the box office, withNo Way Homebecoming the 10th highest-grossing movie domesticallyafter reaching $610 million this past weekend.Morbius’s delay may put a brief pause on Sony’s momentum, but the years of excitement and attention the project has generated will more than likely help it at the box office, whenever it eventually comes out. With thisMorbiusupdate, it’s more than likely we’ll hear about the upcomingScreamandJackass Forevergetting moved back as well in the near future.
