Variety reports Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) will star in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, which will focus on Venom. Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer is reportedly on board to direct. Talk about putting your best foot forward.
The Venom movie, which has already been confirmed to get an R rating, is expected to kick off Sony’s extended universe. The logistics of Sony’s plans haven’t been completely revealed, especially with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, there have been reports that Holland’s involvement in the MCU won’t extend beyond the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel, so we may eventually see him meet Hardy’s Venom. After that, Sony has already said it’s going to transition to Black Cat and Silver Sable.
As a reminder, the Venom movie coming out won’t be connected to the MCU (unless another unprecedented deal is struck). Venom is one of Marvel’s most beloved characters despite primarily existing as an antagonist to Spider-Man. The character made his long-awaited big screen debut in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where he was portrayed by Topher Grace.
In the comics, Venom is an alien symbiote that requires a host in order to survive. It’s unclear which character Hardy will play before he becomes Venom. The character has seen several hosts throughout his comic run, so there’s a lot for Fleischer to pull from.
This isn’t the first time Hardy has appeared in a movie based on a beloved comic franchise, having portrayed Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.
Sony currently hopes to release the Venom movie on October 5, 2018.