Ari Aster was asked to direct superhero flop ‘Morbius’
Ari Aster, the director of the 2025 satirical black comedy Eddington, has revealed that he turned down an offer to direct the Spider-Man spin-off movie Morbius.
Speaking with Semafor, Aster was asked whether he had been approached by Marvel to direct a film for the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe, as rumours had recently spread. Aster responded: “Yes, once.”
When probed for more details, Aster could barely recall what the project was, fitting as the film went on to flop at the box office. He said, “I feel like I shouldn’t say… I was asked to do Mobius? Is it Mobius or Morbius?“
The film in question, Morbius, eventually saw Jared Leto play the titular role. Released in 2022, it was written by Lost in Space duo Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and directed by Daniel Espinosa. Its Rotten Tomatoes score of 15 per cent makes it one of the lowest-rated Marvel films to date.
His new offering, Eddington, will surely perform better than what could have been. The contemporary western film, featuring an ensemble cast including the likes of Emma Stone and Austin Butler, follows the small-town competition between the sheriff, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and the mayor, played by Pedro Pascal, of a fictional town called Eddington during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a three-and-a-half-star review of the film, Far Out wrote, “While it isn’t without its flaws, the urgency of the central message redeems any of its imperfections, with the director reiterating our need to re-engage with each other and convene within our collective truth. While Eddington ends on a sombre note, it reminds us of the harrowing fact that our differences will never unite us, and in order to find our way back to humanity, we must focus on our points of connection, no matter how few and far in between.”
Eddington will hit cinemas on August 22nd.
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