Say what you like about Venom – and the internet at large has, both for and against – but the Tom Hardy-starring comic book anti-hero movie made nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It was pretty clear from its considerable haul ($855 million, officially) that Sony would be [growly Venom voice] HUNGRY [end Venom voice] for more – and according to Variety, writer-producer Kelly Marcel is back on board to pen a sequel screenplay involving Eddie Brock and his gooey alien symbiote pal. But while Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson are all expected to return, director Ruben Fleischer apparently won’t be back for round two.
The filmmaker is currently hard at work on another sequel, Zombieland 2, shooting now for an October 2019 release, meaning he’s too busy to take on Venom 2 ahead of its expected October 2020 release date. Sony previously staked out two 2020 dates for upcoming Marvel-licensed movies, thought to be Venom 2 and the Jared Leto-starring Morbius The Living Vampire.
With Sony not commenting on Variety’s report, this isn’t officially confirmed for now – but if Venom 2 really is due to hit the big screen in under two years’ time, expect a more official confirmation and a director announcement before too long.
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