No one had particularly high hopes for Morbius before it was released in 2022, but the potential for the Living Vampire to take centre stage in a fun, horror-tinged adventure was definitely there.
Unfortunately, the version we got was a disaster. Boasting one of the worst post-credits scenes ever put on film, Morbius was a mess of a movie which stars Matt Smith, Tyrese, and Al Madrigal have all suggested wasn't the project they signed up for (the entire final act was reworked with extensive reshoots).
Talking to Deadline, filmmaker Daniel Espinosa broke his silence on the movie and asked if he suffered from the experience of making Morbius for Sony Pictures.
"Yes," he admitted. "To make a movie through committee, I think, is very hard, and I felt in the end that maybe a different director would have been a better fit. I’m known amongst the studios to be a person with a lot of opinions, and maybe they were not looking for that kind of director."
What's interesting about these comments is that they echo what Dakota Johnson said earlier this year about starring in Madame Web.
"It's so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made - and it's even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out - decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee."
"Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them," Johnson continued. "But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now."
These comments paint a troubling picture of how Sony Pictures is approaching making its Marvel movies. We'd imagine Avi Arad is likely involved in this "committee" as it's the veteran producer's input which has spelled doom for the likes of Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Venom.
Morbius ended by setting the stage for a Sinister Six movie which was seemingly meant to put a heroic spin on the villainous team. Whether Sony plans to return to that idea in Venom: The Last Dance or Kraven the Hunter remains to be seen.
Below, you can check out our interview with Morbius star Jared Leto. It's a fun watch, primarily because you can tell he has absolutely no interest in talking about the movie...