Production is officially underway for Morbius the Living Vampire, and Sony has just secured a new high-profile addition to its next Marvel film. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Tyrese Gibson has entered negotiations to join the movie’s cast.
THR indicates that Gibson will play an FBI agent tasked with hunting down the titular vampire, played by Jared Leto. The report also confirms that Matt Smith is portraying the film’s villain, Loxias Crown. In the comics, Crown was a friend of Michael Morbius afflicted with the same blood disease that prompted the latter to undergo his ill-fated attempt at a cure. Also starring in the film are Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft and Jared Harris in a mystery role.
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After initially achieving success as an R&B singer, Gibson began playing Roman Pearce in The Fast and the Furious films in 2004. He’s been a mainstay in that franchise ever since, and will begin filming the series’ ninth installment this summer. Gibbson also co-starred as Epps in Michael Bay’s first three Transformers movies. Additionally, Gibson has dabbled in the realm of comic book writing. In 2009, he co-created the series Mayhem! for Image Comics. Most recently, he was tapped to play Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter Teddy Pendergrass in an upcoming Warner Bros. biopic.
Gibson has actually has circled a few comic book roles in the past. In the pre-MCU era, he was rumored to star as Luke Cage when John Singleton was attached to write and direct a movie featuring that character. Gibson has also repeatedly expressed his desire to play John Stewart in a new Green Lantern film. He even posted fan art of himself as John Stewart on his Instagram page.
According to Leto’s Twitter account, filming for Morbius will last another eleven weeks. The film will hit theaters on July 31, 2020. What are your thoughts on Tyrese Gibson potentially joining the movie? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
