Well, this is some rather huge news. Yes, as the headline suggests, Jared Leto has signed on to star in Sony’s upcoming Morbius movie.

As per Heat Vision, Leto will be taking centre-stage in this upcoming Spider-Verse effort. That shared Spider-Verse, of course, kicks off this October with the Tom Hardy-headlined Venom.

To be titled Morbius the Living Vampire, Life’s Daniel Espinosa will be on directing duties for the picture, with this just one of several Spider-Verse films in development. The Silver Sable and Black Cat team-up effort – Silver & Black – has been put on hold, although is still in development. Then there’s a movie in the works for Cindy Moon’s Silk, a character who was gifted with the same powers as ol’ Web-head after being bitten by a spider on the very same day as Peter Parker. Elsewhere, Spike Lee is eyeing a film based around tech-driven hero Nightwatch, and there’s the animated Into the Spider-Verse picture which will see the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man taking the spotlight.

For those not familiar with the vampiric Michael Morbius, he’s a character who debuted in 1971’s Amazing Spider-Man #101. A scientist with a rare blood disease, Morbius ends up with vampiric abilities – and also the bloodlust that comes with being such a being. Over the decades, he’s been both a friend and foe of Spider-Man, and he’s also often tied to Blade.

Reportedly, this won’t have any bearing on Leto’s position as the Joker over in the DC Extended Universe, marking him down as the latest name to have landed a role in both a DC movie and a Marvel effort.

Expect more on Morbius the Living Vampire as it continues to develop.