Jared Harris has joined the cast of Sony's Morbius the Living Vampire Marvel Comics adaptation. For the last couple of years, the studio has been looking at the wealth of Spider-Man characters they have the rights to and doing what they can to create a little cinematic universe centered on these characters, without actually using Spider-Man, who is over hanging out with The Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This one has been in the works for a little while now but the success of Venom helped make it a priority for the studio. Jared Leto has been cast in the lead role and they're now filling out the supporting cast ahead of filming.
According to a new report, Jared Harris has signed on to play an as-of-yet undisclosed role in Morbius. He is the latest to join following former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. For the time being, aside from knowing that Jared Leto will be playing the titular character known as The Living Vampire, Sony is keeping many details regarding the project under wraps, including Harris' character. But, this does mark another solid addition to the cast.
Even if one doesn't know Jared Harris by name, they're likely familiar with his work. He's had prominent roles on massive hit shows such as Mad Men, Fringe, The Expanse and, more recently, on Netflix's The Crown. On the big screen, some of his credits include Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, in which, he played Ulysses S. Grant. His work is kind of all over the place but, even in the lesser projects he's appeared in, Harris is never the problem.
Related: Morbius the Living Vampire to Shoot in February, May Still Be R-Rated
For those who may not be familiar, Morbius the Living Vampire debuted in the pages of Marvel Comics in The Amazing Spider-Man #101. He was created by legendary writer Roy Thomas and equally legendary artist Gil Kane. The issue was the first in the series not to be penned by the late Stan Lee. The character is not technically a vampire, in that, he wasn't bitten by another vampire to gain his powers. Dr. Michael Morbius gained his vampiric bloodlust via a series of experiments he ran on himself in order to cure a rare blood disease. Unfortunately, there were some side effects. Morbius grew fangs and developed a need for blood to survive. Unlike traditional vampires, his victims don't turn into vampires once bitten.
Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life) is in the director's chair working from a script by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter). This follows in the footsteps of last year's Venom which, despite not being a critical success (not by a long shot), went on to gross $855 million worldwide. Sony is looking to strike while the iron is hot. Morbius does not yet have a release date set. This news was first reported by Deadline.
