Could the director of Midsommar have saved Sony’s Morbius? In a recent podcast interview with Mixed Signals, writer and director Ari Aster was asked about a rumor that he had been approached by Marvel in the past to direct a movie. The director was quick to note that he had been approached to do a Marvel movie, but seemed hesitant to admit what the project was at first. However, he ended up revealing that it was actually for Sony’s Marvel movie, Morbius. “I was asked to do — is it Mobius? Morbius?” When the podcaster noted that it was, in fact, Morbius and that it was ultimately a flop, Aster replied with, “Yeah, we could have added it to my list.”
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Morbius ended up being directed by Daniel Espinosa from a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Espinosa had previously directed movies like the Denzel Washington-led Safe House, Easy Money starring Joel Kinnaman, and the science-fiction film Life, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds. While Espinosa had worked with huge talent before, none of his films were critical darlings nor had they been huge box office successes. He was a safe pick for Morbius, though, having worked on big action pieces previously. Ari Aster, though, would have been a more interesting pick, who could have delivered a truly unique take on the Marvel Comics character.
Aster’s films are not known for being huge draws at the box office. In fact, two of his biggest titles, Heredity and Midsommar, appear to be the exceptions, with Heredity pulling in $87.8 million worldwide, and Midsommar raking in $47.8 million worldwide on a $9 million budget. However, while not guaranteed successes at the box office, they almost always impress critics and fans alike. For example, Midsommar earned an 83% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while Heredity earned a 90% rating. When it comes to Morbius, though, it’s hard to imagine Aster’s take on the project given he tends to direct from his own screenplays and typically works with smaller budgets. More importantly, though, Aster seems to work best when he’s in full creative control.
Morbius, like other superhero flicks before it, was always going to be a work-for-hire scenario, with the studio having more input than the director. That’s why it wasn’t entirely surprising that the film only pulled in $167.4 million worldwide and earned a dismal 15% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Aster seemed to have made the right decision not to take on the project, instead choosing to write and direct his latest film, Eddington starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal.
Eddington, the latest from Aster, tells the story of a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor that ultimately sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico. The film is depicted as a COVID-19 satire and appears to be a mixed bag among critics, earning a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is in theaters now.
As for Sony’s Morbius, the Jared Leto-led comic book movie is now streaming on both Disney+ and HBO Max.
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