From Joker to Morbius: Jared Leto takes on new comic book role, calls it an incredible opportunity

“In the beginning… he’s very sick and frail and fragile and really at the end of his life, and he’s searching for a cure to this brutal disease. And then he gets strong and powerful and then ultimately monstrous,” Leto said. “The challenge for me was digging into these three unique versions of the same character. There’s this super challenging transformation and I enjoyed that. It was rewarding.”

British actor Matt Smith, known for Doctor Who and The Crown, plays Morbius’ lifelong friend Lucien, renamed Milo by Morbius when they were children.

“They share the same very debilitating disease and became very close as a result of it over the years,” Smith said.

“They’re different in personality – one’s English, one’s American and their souls are quite different. But their ambition to find a cure is the great kind of similarity and the great bond that keeps them together over the years.” Director Daniel Espinosa said it is Morbius’ duality that has earned him a following in the comic book world.

Asked whether films about superheroes or anti-heroes like Morbius trying to heal the world felt relevant in the current climate surrounding the Ukraine crisis, Espinosa said, “To give people respite is not to give people a shot of diving away from the responsibility.”