For some reason...
Sony Pictures is still trying to make this whole Spider-Man cinematic universe thing work, despite the fact that Spider-Man himself may not actually be in it at all. They’ve just announced a spin-off around the anti-hero known as Morbius the Living Vampire.
Morbius, his alter-ego being Dr. Michael Morbius, first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #101. His character was a scientist who was plagued with a rare blood disease. Morbius attempted to cure himself but wound up accidentally turning into a vampire instead. Classic mistake.
Morbius doesn’t have all the powers of an actual vampire, but neither does he have their weaknesses. He’s inflicted with super-strength, large fangs, the ability to hypnotize smaller beings and a thirst for blood. He cannot, however, shape-shift or control the weather, nor is he hurt by garlic, holy water or crucifixes. He is able to stand in sunlight, but his powers are diminished when doing so.
In the comics, he collides and fights with Spider-Man for some time. Eventually, he’s turned into an anti-hero of his own right, similar to Venom.
What route, exactly, Sony is going to go with the character is not yet known as they’ve declined to comment on the news.
The bad news is that the film is being written by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama, two collaborators who have worked on writing such classics as Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter, Gods of Egypt and, most recently, Power Rangers. While Sharpless and Sazama are surely nice people and all that, they have yet to make a film that audiences have really taken to.
Which is why it’s hard to get excited about a Morbius movie, which comes completely out of left field.
This isn’t the first spin-off Spider-Man movie that Sony has announced. While the actual character of Peter Parker is currently being lent to Marvel Studios, hence why Spider-Man: Homecoming took place in the MCU, Sony still has the rights to all the other Spider-Man characters. They’ve got a Venom stand-alone film in the works, as well as Black Cat and Silver Sable being in development.
Whether Spider-Man is legally capable to show up in these films is a bit murky, as Sony and Marvel seem to change their statements every other week regarding the matter.
We’ll have to wait to see where this Morbius movie goes, as there is no release date yet announced. For now, it’s anybody's guess.