Sony Pictures has revealed that the Jared Leto-led Marvel vampire film, Morbius has been delayed from its January 28th release amid the rise of the Omicron variant and will now release in theatres on April 1st.
According to Deadline, one motivating factor of the delay was to continue the push of the huge success of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man film was released in theatres on December 17th and is the highest-grossing film of 2021 which has grossed up revenue of $1.37 billion worldwide.
Another factor internally might be the surge in cases of the omicron variant, to which the film is no stranger to COVID-19 delays as it was originally slated for release in July 2020. The movie is now set to release on April Fools’ Day during a month when some notable films are releasing which include Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and The Northman.
“One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius,” the movie’s synopsis describes.
“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?”
The marvel vampire antihero was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane in 1971. Jared Leto’s Marvel antihero will be joined by Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith as Loxias Crown, Good Omens‘ Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft, The Crown‘s Jared Harris as Morbius’ mentor, Fast and the Furious‘ Tyrese Gibson as an FBI agent and Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes aka Vulture.
Morbius is set to release in theatres on April 1st, 2022.
