Sony Pictures has delayed the release of Jared Leto-starrer Morbius from January 28th until April 1st amid the current surge of the Omicron variant. The film is set to open exclusively in theaters.
The Sony and Marvel film had already been delayed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most recently from October 2021 to early 2022. The movie was originally planned for release on July 31st, 2020.
Leto stars as the titular villain in the film, which traces the origins of Dr. Michael Morbius. The character first appeared in the Spider-Man comics in 1971, where he began as a Spider-Man enemy but soon starred as an anti-hero in his own series.
A recent trailer for the film showcases Leto’s Dr. Morbius going missing for two months, only to be found in a container ship. His reemergence finds him with increased speed and a form of “bat radar” after he injects himself with a “cure” that turns out to have vampiric side effects. His transformation takes him from a person who once healed the world as a biochemist looking for a cure for his rare disease to one who kills as he thirsts for blood.
Morbius was directed by Daniel Espinosa and stars Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Michael Keaton.