Tom Hardy To Star In Venom
Sony's upcoming Venom movie has found a star and a director. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mad Max: Fury Road's Tom Hardy is set to lead the project, while Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer will direct.
Plot details for the film are being kept tightly under wraps, but Hardy is confirmed to be playing Eddie Brock, the character who first became Venom. Venom is reportedly meant to be an R-rated, sci-fi horror take on the classic Spider-Man villain, who was portrayed on screen by Topher Grace in the last installment of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
The movie, which has a script from Scott Rosenberg (Gone in Sixty Seconds) and Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), is set to be the launch of Sony's own Marvel cinematic universe, which also includes the planned Silver Sable and Black Cat movie from Thor: Ragnarok writer Chris Yost. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal will produce the film.
This isn't Hardy's first time appearing in a comic book film; the actor is also known for playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Other notable projects include The Revenant, which earned him his first Oscar nomination, Inception, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Locke, and The Take. Notable upcoming projects include Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Mad Max sequel Mad Max: The Wasteland, the biopic Fonzo, and the thriller War Party. According to Variety, Sony jumped at the chance to pick up Hardy, reportedly a huge fan of Venom, for the film after he dropped out of the action-thriller Triple Frontier.
Fleischer, who has been courted for numerous superhero films, made his directorial debut with the well-loved Zombieland and has since worked on Gangster Squad, 30 Minutes or Less, and Superstore. His upcoming projects include the long-gestating Zombieland 2 (although that film may never make it to production), the comedy The Regional Office is Under Attack, and the drama Jekyll. He is also attached to the upcoming Archer & Armstrong adaptation.
Venom is set to hit theaters on Oct. 5, 2018.
Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock in #Venom, the upcoming film from Sony's Marvel Universe releasing October 5, 2018 – production starts this fall. pic.twitter.com/OZQqDEvoum
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) May 19, 2017