While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be only days away, there was another big Marvel movie released just last month that’s still in the minds of many, though probably not for the best of reasons. The project in question is no other than Jared Leto’s Morbius, and needless to say, it was not received well by either critics or fans.
The film got an abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score and also ranked near the very bottom of the list when it comes to Marvel's CinemaScores. Sony’s big Vampire movie doesn’t look like it will ever become the second Venom franchise that the studio wants so badly as it seeks to get its Spider-Man spin-off universe off the ground.
Now, a star from Morbius has spoken out about the project. He claimed that it isn’t as bad as its reputation would have one believe, but also revealed how the studios butchered his role—including leaving a major action scene on the cutting room floor.
Morbius' Messy Cutting Room Floor
In an interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Morbius actor Al Madrigal - who played Agent Rodriguez alongside Tyrese Gibson’s law enforcement officer - spoke out about the controversial project.
Madrigal admitted that “it had problems… [but it was] not as bad as everybody is making it out to be” and went on to joke how “[his role] got butchered” thanks to the many edits made to the final cut:
“First of all, Morbius: not as bad as everybody is making it out to be. Sure, it had problems, and they diced it up quite a bit. I had some hilarious lines that were cut out of that movie. I was very funny [Laughs]. In London, when you shoot they do a halfway party exactly midway through the film and there’s a big blowout. Editors came up to me. A gaggle of them came up and said, ‘Oh my God, we see everything you’re doing. All the subtle stuff. All of the jokes.’ I got to improvise through that freely. If they’d left in just 50% more of my stuff [Laughs]. I got butchered in that thing. I think that’s what they did. They just really…because of COVID, they just had so much time to mess with it. They really messed with it.”
In the trailer, an action scene between Gibson and Madrigal in a forest can be seen—through it never made it in the final cut of the film. The actor admitted that there were “quite a few” moments that didn’t make the final cut and how “the big final fight scene [originally] happen[ed] during the day:”
“Yeah, quite a few. You saw a complete alternate ending to this entire thing. They made a good point. That scene you saw pictures from was shot during the day, and the rationale was, ‘We have a vampire movie. We can’t have the big final fight scene happen during the day.’ At some point, me and Tyrese fought Matt Smith. I shot for six days and none of that was shown.”
Madrigal went on to say how “[he] was hoping to be [the] Agent Coulson” of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, but that he “[doesn’t] know if that’s going to happen:”
"Thanks, man. When I went out to London, they were like, ‘Congratulations, you’re the glue that holds everything together.’ We’ll see. I was hoping to be Agent Coulson, appearing in every single installment of this Sony Marvel Universe. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. If it does, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. On to the next thing and on to Unplugging."
Would Morbius Have Been Better Off As Is?
In the end, there were far more problems with Morbius than just the absence of Al Madrigal’s character. Though, no doubt, the project getting sliced up by the studio certainly didn’t help anything.
Look no further than the nonsensical after-credits scene to know that the film may have been doomed for a long time. The creatives didn’t seem to even understand any of the rules established in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Hopefully, Sony Pictures is able to pick up its cinematic universe and do better in the future. After all, they still have an upcoming slate of several projects: Kraven the Hunter, Madame Web, El Muerto, and Venom 3.
For better or worse, Madrigal’s Agent Rodriguez will have plenty of more opportunities to show up down the line. Given the Venom references in Jared Leto’s film, maybe he’ll get his chance to interact with Tom Hardy’s alien symbiote for the third installment.
Morbius is currently playing in theaters across the world.
